Department for Transport

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Staff

Graham P Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of staffing levels at DVLA in each year between 2009 and 2017.

Jesse Norman: The table below shows the number of full time equivalent staff employed at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency in each financial year between 2008/09 and 2016/17: Financial YearFull Time Equivalent2008-095,690.02009-105,614.02010-115,561.32011-125,469.02012-135,612.62013-144,985.12014-155,147.02015-165,429.92016-175,351.2

Motor Vehicles: Carbon Emissions

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to extend the ability to report excessive emissions at present applied to buses and commercial vehicles to private cars and motorcycles; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: All vehicles must meet strict emission standards before they enter use and emissions from private cars are then checked at the annual MoT for cars of 3 years age and older. Smoky lorries and buses can be reported by telephone via DVSA’s national number, online via GOV.UK or by sending an email. DVSA will then send a letter to the registered keeper of the vehicle as recorded on the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency’s database. The letter is also copied to the remote enforcement office at DVSA. The operator is then required to undergo an emissions test and submit the results to DVSA’s enforcement team. The Government currently has no plans to extend the ability to report suspected excessive lorry and bus exhaust emissions to private cars and motorcycles. It remains the user’s responsibility to ensure the vehicle continues to meet these emissions standards at all times while in use.

Heathrow Airport: Inland Waterways

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment has been made of the effect on local waterways of the proposal to expand Heathrow.

Jesse Norman: The Department has carried out an Appraisal of Sustainability (AoS) to support development of the draft Airports National Policy Statement (NPS). The AoS assesses impacts on culverting and diversion of watercourses.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Waste Management: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, by how much the UK waste management sector will have to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 as a result of the agreement on effort sharing reached by the European Council and the European Parliament on 21 December 2017.

Claire Perry: The provisional agreement reached on the Effort Sharing Regulation (ESR) in December 2017 does not set out emission reduction targets for each sector of the economy. Rather, the ESR sets an overall commitment to reduce emissions across the EU by 30% on 2005 levels by 2030 in the sectors covered by ESR; this includes the transport, waste, agriculture and buildings sectors. Each Member State’s actual target for their ESR sectors will vary as the effort needed to meet the EU target is allocated to Member States according to their GDP with an adjustment for cost effectiveness (e.g. the UK’s ESR target is a 37% reduction). Under the UK’s Climate Change Act (2008) the UK has more stringent emission reduction targets than its EU target. The UK has already succeeded in reducing its emissions by 42% since 1990 while growing the economy by two thirds. The recently published Clean Growth Strategy set outs how the Government will build on this progress into the 2020s. It notes the progress to date in reducing emissions from waste and outlines a number further initiatives including; our ambition for zero avoidable waste by 2050, publishing a new Resources and Waste Strategy and exploring new and innovative ways to manage emissions from landfill. Further information can be found in the Clean Growth Strategy.The contribution of the waste sector to meeting the UK’s 2030 emission reduction target will depend on the implementation of the detailed policies the UK adopts to meet its targets. Whatever our future relationship with the EU, the UK’s commitment and leadership role in tackling climate change remains undimmed and working closely with the EU on this global challenge will remain important. Leaving the EU will not change any of our statutory commitments to reduce our emissions according to the Climate Change Act (2008) which is more ambitious than the UK’s EU target.

Insolvency

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department plans to reform the corporate insolvency framework.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the need to introduce reforms to the UK’s corporate insolvency framework after the UK leaves the EU.

Andrew Griffiths: In May 2016 the Government published its Review of the Corporate Insolvency Framework consultation. The consultation contained a package of proposals to improve the rescue opportunities for financially-distressed companies in Great Britain. A summary of responses to the consultation was published in September 2016. Since this time Government has continued to engage with a wide range of interested parties to consider the issues raised in response to the consultation and to further develop the proposals. This further work will ensure that any reforms, if necessary, will achieve the Government’s aims of ensuring that businesses have the appropriate options for rescue when facing financial difficulties. A response to the consultation will be published later this year. In addition to this consultation, similar proposals were subsequently published in a draft EU Directive in November 2016. The Government is currently involved in negotiations on the draft text and any future implementation of the Directive, if adopted, will be determined by the terms of the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union.

GKN: Melrose

Lucy Allan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when his Department first learned about Melrose's proposed takeover of GKN.

Andrew Griffiths: GKN announced on 12 January that it had been approached by Melrose. Since then I have spoken on an impartial basis to both companies, and will continue to monitor the situation closely

GKN: Melrose

Lucy Allan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect on (a) jobs, (b) operations and (c) the wider economy of Melrose's proposed takeover of GKN.

Andrew Griffiths: This is a commercial matter for the companies involved, however the Government is closely monitoring the situation. If necessary, the Government can intervene in takeovers on public interest grounds, covering national security, financial stability or media plurality.

Mineworkers' Pension Scheme

Martin Whitfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department plans to re-negotiate the surplus-sharing agreement between the Government and the Trustees of the Mineworkers Pension Scheme.

Claire Perry: There are no such current plans.

Regulation

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what progress has been made on the Cutting Red Tape programme since 2015.

Andrew Griffiths: The Cutting Red Tape Programme ran from 2015 – 2016 and published six sector based reviews of regulations. There have been no new Cutting Red Tape reviews since 2016. The published reports presented a series of findings to the responsible policy Departments who then worked with their stakeholders and regulators to address those findings and implement any changes. The Government is currently considering its approach to regulatory reform in the current Parliament.

Energy: Meters

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to reduce the high deemed rental costs associated with contracts between meter asset providers and energy suppliers, particularly when a customer switches energy supplier.

Claire Perry: Holding answer received on 02 February 2018



The Government regularly engages with energy suppliers and Meter Asset Providers (MAPs) to better understand the contractual developments in the marketplace for energy meters.Deemed rental charges have been in use for a number of years and were introduced as an option for energy suppliers who did not want to sign a formal churn contract with the MAP.Energy suppliers continue to have a choice of rental agreement when they gain a meter and the Government remain of the view that the current market is operating in a competitive way.

Energy: Meters

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many (a) SMETS1 and (b) SMETS2 gas meters have been installed under the smart meters roll-out programme.

Claire Perry: Holding answer received on 02 February 2018



The Government publishes quarterly reports on the number of smart electricity and gas meters installed in Great Britain as part of its Smart Meters statistics collection: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/smart-meters-statistics. As of 30 September 2017, there were 3.34 million smart and advanced gas meters operating across homes and businesses in Great Britain by large energy suppliers. Industry information shows there are now around 450 gas and electricity SMETS2 meters connected to the DCC system. Most of these are being operated in test conditions and around 80 have been installed in the live environment. Energy suppliers are continuing to test their systems ahead of a controlled ramp up on SMETS2 meters in the coming months.

Energy: Meters

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether smart meter installation costs have increased from the time when the 2016 cost-benefit analysis was conducted.

Claire Perry: Holding answer received on 02 February 2018



Smart meter installation costs in the 2016 Cost-Benefit Analysis update reflect both energy suppliers’ latest actual data and their own forecasts of how installation costs would evolve over time.

Energy: Meters

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate has he made of the number of smart meters that will be installed under the smart meter roll-out programme by 2020.

Claire Perry: Holding answer received on 02 February 2018



The Government is committed to ensuring that every home and small business are offered smart meters by the end of 2020. The programme is making good progress and more than 8.6 million smart and advanced meters are operating in Great Britain, as of 30 September 2017. Energy suppliers are responsible for planning and delivering the roll-out of smart meters, working within the legal framework established by the Government. Energy suppliers’ licence conditions require them to take ‘all reasonable steps’ to roll-out smart meters to all their domestic and small business customers by 31 December 2020. Ofgem is responsible for regulating energy suppliers against this obligation.

Fuel Oil: Government Assistance

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will withdraw support from oil-heated properties where that property is off the gas grid and fuel inefficient.

Claire Perry: Government will be consulting shortly on reforms to the Energy Company Obligation which will run from October 2018 to March 2022. The consultation will include proposals for supporting rural properties and the types of measures eligible. The Renewable Heat Incentive is targeted at off grid buildings using high carbon fuels, with a £4.5bn budget between 2016 and 2021.

Hydrogen: National Grid

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the merits of using the current gas grid to transport hydrogen.

Claire Perry: Using the gas grid to transport hydrogen is one of a number of potential approaches to decarbonise how we heat our homes, businesses and industry in order to meet our 2050 emissions reduction targets. As outlined in the Clean Growth Strategy, approaches with potential include decarbonising the gas grid using hydrogen or biogas, increased use of heat networks and electrification of heating. At present, it is not clear which approaches will work best at scale. The Department is carrying out work to consolidate and improve the evidence base on different approaches and plans to publish a report on this work in summer 2018.Last year, the Department commenced a £25m innovation project to explore the potential use of hydrogen in UK homes and businesses, including through development and testing of hydrogen appliances. Also last year, Ofgem awarded £8.9m to the gas distribution networks, under the Network Innovation Competition, to provide evidence on the suitability and safety of using existing distribution infrastructure to transport hydrogen.

Natural Gas: National Grid

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what proportion of homes are not currently attached to the gas grid by region.

Claire Perry: Holding answer received on 02 February 2018



The below table gives estimates of the proportion of homes not attached to the gas grid by Government Office Region as of 31 December 2016, which are the most recent estimates available. The estimates are based on the difference between the number of households and the number of domestic gas meters as published in the sub-national gas consumption data. Further details of the methodology, and additional data are published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/sub-national-estimates-of-households-not-connected-to-the-gas-network Great Britain`14%England13%North East6%North West7%Yorkshire and The Humber8%East Midlands10%West Midlands11%East18%Inner London20%Outer London12%South East14%South West21%Wales17%Scotland20%

Nuclear Safeguards Bill 2017-19

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, on what date was the original impact assessment prepared by his Department for the Nuclear Safeguards Bill was submitted to the Regulatory Policy Committee for approval.

Richard Harrington: The impact assessment on the Nuclear Safeguards Bill, prepared by the Department of Business Energy and Industrial Strategy, was submitted to the Regulatory Policy Committee for approval on Tuesday 3rd October 2017.

Coal: Overseas Trade

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what information his Department holds on the amount of coal (a) imported into the UK and (b) exported from the UK in each year since 1992 for which data is available; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: The table below gives the amount of coal imported into and exported from the UK in each year since 1992:  Imports (thousand tonnes)Exports (thousand tonnes)  Imports (thousand tonnes)Exports (thousand tonnes)199220,339973 200543,968536199318,4001,114 200650,528443199415,0881,236 200743,364544199515,896859 200843,875599199617,799988 200938,167646199719,7571,146 201026,541715199821,244971 201132,527491199920,293761 201244,815488200023,446660 201350,611595200135,542550 201442,225425200228,686537 201522,518385200331,891543 20168,494443200436,153622   Source: Digest of UK Energy Statistics, table 2.1.1, available athttps://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/solid-fuels-and-derived-gases-chapter-2-digest-of-united-kingdom-energy-statistics-dukes

Temporary Employment

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy of 30 January 2018, on Agency Workers, official report column 670, whether he plans to abolish the Swedish derogation on agency workers.

Andrew Griffiths: The Government wants to ensure that our labour markets work for everyone. That was why my Rt hon Friend the Prime Minister asked Matthew Taylor to carry out an independent review on modern working practices. The Government is considering the issues that the review has raised, including rules governing the use of agency workers and the use of pay between assignment contracts. ​The review is comprehensive and detailed, and we have been giving the report the careful consideration it deserves. We will respond shortly.

Climate Change

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the accuracy of methodology used in the Committee on Climate Change report, published on 17 January 2018 and what assessment his Department has made of whether the UK is on course to meet the fourth and fifth carbon budgets.

Claire Perry: The independent Committee on Climate Change is a vital part of the Climate Change Act framework, and the Government welcomes the scrutiny it provides. We are currently reviewing the report and the recommendations contained within it. We remain fully committed to meeting our carbon budgets and our ambitious Clean Growth Strategy sets out how we intend to do this. Our latest estimates show that we are on track to be 97% and 95% of the way to meeting our fourth and fifth carbon budgets respectively, even before many of the new policies and proposals in the Clean Growth Strategy are taken into account.

*No heading*

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of the recommendations of the Bloomberg New Energy Finance report State of Clean Energy Investment, published 16 January 2018; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: As part of our commitment to clean growth, we are always interested in the views of external organisations and their predictions and recommendations. The UK is a world leader in clean growth and has invested more than £52 billion in renewable energy in the UK since 2010. Our Industrial Strategy sets out how we want to make sure that the UK continues to reap the benefits from the transition to a low carbon economy. That’s why we are investing £2.5 billion to support low carbon innovation in the UK between 2015 and 2021, and are making Clean Growth a priority of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund, In addition, Government has established a Green Finance Taskforce to accelerate the growth of green finance and look for ways in which the Government can further support investment in low carbon deals.

Carbon Monoxide: Alarms

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make it his Department's policy to ensure that people installing smart meters are equipped with carbon monoxide monitors.

Claire Perry: There is no specific legal requirement for persons entering and working in domestic properties to wear personal carbon monoxide (CO) alarms. It is for employers of meter installers to assess the level of risk to which these installers are exposed to as a result of their meter exchange activities.

Carbon Monoxide: Alarms

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make it his Department's policy to ensure that checks are made for carbon monoxide gas from gas appliances when smart meters are installed.

Claire Perry: While no specific test for carbon monoxide is undertaken once a gas smart meter has been installed and a gas appliance re-commissioned, energy suppliers are required to comply with a number of existing regulations and other requirements when fitting gas smart meters. These include the Gas Safety (Installations and Use) Regulations (1998) and the Meter Asset Managers’ Code of Practice (MAMCOP) which set out the roles, responsibilities and expectations of meter installers when safety issues are identified during meter installation visits.Energy suppliers must also comply with the Smart Meter Installation Code of Practice. This states that the installer should inform the customer about the dangers of carbon monoxide and the need to regularly have all gas appliances serviced and checked by a Gas Safe Registered engineer. Energy suppliers are also required as part of their licence conditions to take all reasonable steps to provide, free of charge, information about the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning and the benefits of fitting an audible carbon monoxide alarm complying with a relevant British or European safety standard to their domestic customers at least once a year.

Energy: Meters

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will provide support for people in households whose boiler is condemned as a result of the smart meter roll-out.

Claire Perry: The smart metering programme is presenting a unique opportunity for installers to identify pre-existing opportunities for safety improvement, unrelated to smart meters, in homes and small businesses across Great Britain.Energy UK has issued a Good Practice Guidance Document on this topic to energy suppliers. A key principle is that whenever a safety issue is identified, either with the gas (or electricity) installation or with an unsafe appliance or other equipment, the meter installer’s first priority is seek to make the situation safe. The guidance also sets out the steps installers should take when either an emergency or non-emergency issue is identified with customer or landlord-owned appliances or equipment.

Crops: Patents

Danielle Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many patents have been filed for climate-ready crops between 2015-17.

Mr Sam Gyimah: In the period 2015-17, 283 patent applications were published that may have effect in the UK and relate specifically to plants modified to cope with climate stresses, in particular drought, cold or salt resistance. Of these, 85 were European patent applications and 198 were international patent applications filed under the Patent Co-Operation Treaty.

Carbon Emissions: North Cornwall

Scott Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department plans to make funding available for the delivery of the Government’s clean growth strategy to homes and businesses unconnected to the gas grid in North Cornwall constituency.

Claire Perry: Funding for the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) of £4.5 billion has been agreed to support low carbon heat technologies in homes and businesses, on and off the gas grid, between 2016 and 2021. Over the scheme lifetime, we expect payments to be around £23bn. As at the end of December 2017, 1985 domestic and 370 non-domestic installations have been accredited within Cornwall. The Department does not hold data specifically for North Cornwall. Beyond the RHI, our ambition is to help homes off the gas grid to start to move to cleaner heating options during the 2020s. We will work with consumers as we develop policy, starting with new build, and will consult further on policy options during 2018. A key focus of our policy development will be the cost difference between low and high carbon technologies. We are investing £10 million in an innovation challenge fund to support low carbon heating systems, which will help drive down costs.Alongside Winter Fuel Payments and Cold Weather Payments, policies such as the Warm Home Discount and Energy Company Obligation deliver vital support to millions of low income and vulnerable homes each year with heating and insulation measures as well as direct reductions in their energy bills. As set out in the Autumn Statement, a domestic supplier obligation with a value of £640m, will continue to be in place until 2022.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Zimbabwe: Politics and Government

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he had discussions with his South African counterpart on Emmerson Mnangagwa in the weeks before then Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe was placed under house arrest.

Harriett Baldwin: The Foreign Secretary did not have any discussions with his South African counterpart, Foreign Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, in the weeks before the military intervention in Zimbabwe. However, officials at our High Commission in Pretoria regularly discussed the situation in Zimbabwe with the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation.

Zimbabwe: Politics and Government

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he had discussions he with his South African counterpart on Emmerson Mnangagwa in the weeks after then Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe was placed under house arrest.

Harriett Baldwin: The Foreign Secretary discussed a range of subjects, including Zimbabwe, with his South African counterpart, Foreign Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, during the European Union – African Union Summit on 29/30 November. Throughout this period, our High Commission staff have regularly discussed the situation in Zimbabwe with the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation.

Burma: Rohingya

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the likelihood of the recommendations of the Rakhine Advisory Commission being implemented; and what steps he is taking to assist with the implementation of those recommendations.

Mark Field: Implementation of the Rakhine Advisory Commission recommendations is essential to create conditions for refugee returns to take place voluntarily, in safety and in dignity. The UK has welcomed the Burmese Government's establishment of Rakhine Advisory Commission Implementation Committee and an Advisory Board, but recognises that implementation will be a long-term process, and that much more progress is required. I confirmed that the UK was ready to support the Burmese government with the implementation of the report when I welcomed its publication on 25 August 2017. The Foreign Secretary reiterated this offer when he spoke to State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi on 21 October 2017. I have encouraged progress by the Rakhine Advisory Board in recent meetings with its member,s Dr Suriakiart Sathirathai on 3 January, and Lord Darzi on 1 February.

Zimbabwe: Elections

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations has he made to his Zimbabwean counterpart on the role of (a) Zimbabwe Defence Forces and (b) war veterans during the 2018 elections in that country.

Harriett Baldwin: Former Minister for Africa Rory Stewart met President Mnangagwa on 24 November and discussed the need for transparent, free and fair elections in Zimbabwe, in line with Zimbabwe's constitutional requirements. We are clear that the military cannot be a partisan supporter of any one party if elections are to be deemed free and fair. I reinforced this message in my recent visit to Harare on February 1st and 2nd 2018.

Zimbabwe: Elections

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Zimbabwean counterpart on ensuring that the 2018 elections in that country are conducted in a peaceful, inclusive, credible and transparent manner.

Harriett Baldwin: Former Minister for Africa Rory Stewart met President Mnangagwa on 24 November and discussed the need for transparent, free and fair elections in Zimbabwe, in line with Zimbabwe's constitutional requirements. We welcome President Mnangagwa's recent statements on his desire to hold free and fair elections, including indications that international observers will be welcomed. We hope that the necessary invitations will be forthcoming. I reinforced this message during my visit to Harare on February 1st and 2nd 2018.

Zimbabwe: Elections

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions has he had with Cabinet colleagues on providing support to Zimbabwe to ensure that the 2018 elections in that country will be peaceful, inclusive, credible and transparent.

Harriett Baldwin: The discussions with Cabinet colleagues about Zimbabwe are ongoing. DFID is providing £5m in new money to support civil society in Zimbabwe to build a more democratic electoral process in the 2018 elections.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Brexit

Ged Killen: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the Answer of 21 December 2017 to Question 118696 on Brexit and the oral contribution of the Secretary of State for Scotland of 24 January 2018, what steps his Department is taking to make available the non-redacted sectoral reports to Members of the Scottish Parliament.

Mr Robin Walker: We have provided sectoral information to Parliament as required by the motion passed by the House of Commons on 1 November 2017. As we made clear on the 21 December 2017 in answer to Question 118696, the same information was shared with the devolved administrations and the reports are now the property of the House of Commons Committee on Exiting the European Union. The Committee made these reports partially available at: https://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/exiting-the-european-union-committee/publications/The Department will continue to balance our commitment to transparency with the need to protect information which could undermine the UK’s ability to negotiate the best deal for the UK. Ministers have a specific responsibility, which Parliament has endorsed, not to release information that would undermine our negotiating position.

UK Notified Bodies

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to the paper entitled Withdrawal of the United Kingdom and EU Rules in the Field of Industrial Products, published by the EU Commission on 22 January 2018, what discussions he has had during negotiations on whether UK notified bodies will lose their status in March 2019 or after the completion of the proposed implementation period.

Mr Robin Walker: We are working closely with Member States and our partners in the EU institutions to negotiate the best deal for the UK and the EU. As set out in the Government’s August 2017 position paper ‘Continuity in the availability of goods for the EU and the UK’, we want compliance activity, including conformity assessments from notified bodies, carried out prior to exit to be recognised in both the UK and the EU to support a smooth exit and the move to a deep and special future relationship. We have been engaging extensively with the EU on these matters. We welcome the EU’s agreement to negotiate an implementation period, as set out in the Council guidelines published on 15 December. We have been clear that this should be based on the existing structure of EU rules and regulations, during which the UK and the EU would continue to have access to one another’s markets on current terms. We will continue to work closely with all relevant stakeholders, including notified bodies.

Department of Health and Social Care

Home Care Services: Fees and Charges

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether it is his Department’s policy that domiciliary care should be means-tested against the value of a person's home.

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of people in Wallasey constituency who are living with unmet social care needs.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government has committed to publishing a Green Paper by the summer, in which it will set out its proposals for care for older people. An estimate of the number of people in Wallasey constituency who are living with unmet social care needs is not held centrally. The Care Act 2014 requires that where an adult or carer appears to have care and support needs the local authority must carry out an assessment. It must then decide if the person has eligible needs by considering the outcomes the person wants to achieve, what needs they have, and how these impact on their wellbeing. Where a person is assessed as having eligible care and support needs, these must be met by their local authority. For those who do not meet the eligibility criteria, local authorities should signpost people to relevant services.

NHS: Crimes of Violence

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients were referred to NHS England for placement on the Violent Patient Scheme, in each commissioning area, in each of the last five years.

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients were put on the violent patient scheme, in each commissioning area, in each of the last five years.

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people who have been discharged from the violent patient scheme were put back on the scheme at a later date.

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of arrangements for notifying GP practices when a patient with a history of violence towards healthcare workers registers at a practice.

Steve Brine: Information on the number of patients referred to NHS England for placement on the Violent Patient Scheme, in each commissioning area, in each of the last five years is not collected centrally. Information on the number of patients put on the Violent Patient Scheme is not available by commissioning area. In April 2016, NHS England commissioned a national patient registration service which included the removal of violent patients from general practitioner (GP) practice lists. The national service has identified that 1,826 patients have been allocated to the Violent Patient Scheme since April 2016. However, where local arrangements for managing patient lists continued to operate, the removal of violent patients would not be included in this figure. Information on the number of patients who have been discharged from the violent patient scheme but put back on the Scheme at a later date, is not collected centrally. The Department is working with National Health Service system leaders, including NHS England, to put in place new arrangements to support health organisations, including GP practices, in their responsibilities for protecting staff from violence and abuse. Once the arrangements are finalised, this will include the circulation of alert notices about potentially violent patients.

Cervical Cancer: Screening

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to increase the take-up of cervical cancer screening.

Steve Brine: Public Health England (PHE), the Department and NHS England continue to work together to understand and redress the falling participation in the National Health Service cervical screening programme. A range of work is being undertaken by PHE to understand the reasons for the decline in uptake and to support the NHS and local authorities (LAs) to address them. They include access to timely and useful data for benchmarking, evidence on best practices to increase uptake among women who wish to be screened, using governance levers to advise NHS and LAs and working in partnership with commissioners, providers and charities.

Eating Disorders: Children and Young People

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of eating disorder services for children and young people in Yorkshire and the Humber.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Local Transformation Plans have been developed to deliver the Future in Mind Leeds Programme which includes plans for the commissioning of eating disorder services for children and young people. By the end of 2017/18 the programme aims to ensure that the Community Eating Disorder Service meets national standards and access targets. By 2018/19 the programme aims to ensure that there is a clear and smooth transition pathway between the service offered to children and young people, and the similar services offered to adults. NHS England reports progress against the national access and waiting time standard for children and young people’s community eating disorder services on a quarterly basis. This includes national, regional and local data, including for Yorkshire and the Humber. This is available at: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/cyped-waiting-times/ For Yorkshire and the Humber, the implementation of the Eating Disorder guidance by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, is also monitored through the Yorkshire and Humber Director of Commissioning Operations Assurance process for the Future in Mind programme. The national Mental Health Policy Team in NHS England also has close oversight of the implementation and delivery of services. A range of support is available to local areas to maintain performance and build to the 2020 ambition of 95% of children and young people referred starting treatment within one week for urgent or four weeks for routine cases, by 2020. This includes support from the York and Humber Eating Disorders Clinical Network and Quality Improvement team.

Hyperactivity

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people were diagnosed with ADHD in each of the last five years.

Caroline Dinenage: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Social Services: Reform

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress the Government is making on its proposals to reform the social care system.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government has committed to publishing a Green Paper by summer 2018 setting out its proposals for reform. In developing the Green Paper, it is right that we take the time needed to debate the many complex issues and listen to the perspectives of experts and care users, building consensus around reforms which can succeed. This is why we are undertaking a process of initial engagement through which the Government is working with experts, stakeholders and users to shape the reforms that will be proposed in the Green Paper.

Brain: Tumours

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department's Task and Finish Working Group on Brain Tumour Research plans to publish its second report; and if he will make a statement.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Task and Finish Working Group on Brain Tumour Research involves a wide range of people and organisations. The Working Group’s report was delivered to the Parliamentary under Secretary of State for Health (Lord O’Shaughnessy) on 31 January, and will be published as soon as possible.

Health Services and Social Services: Rural Areas

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the Government’s strategy is for meeting the challenges of rural vulnerability as defined by distance from health and social care services.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Public Health England (PHE) and the Local Government Association jointly published ‘Health and Wellbeing in Rural Areas’ in March 2017, which describes the inequality experienced by some rural communities; gives a steer for local authorities on issues to consider in meeting the needs of rural communities and provides examples of case studies of how local areas are addressing this. The report is available to view here: https://www.local.gov.uk/health-and-wellbeing-rural-areas PHE’s National Cancer Registration Analysis Service is currentlyinvestigating whether there is any demonstrable difference in radiotherapy treatments associated with the time taken to travel to a specialist cancer centre. The results will be published in the spring of 2018 and will help decision makers in addressing issues of access to services. On 31 March 2017 ‘Next steps on the NHS Five Year Forward View’ was published by NHS England. The document outlined a 10-point care and efficiency plan which will further contribute to improving the health outcomes of those living in rural areas, and is available to view here: https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/NEXT-STEPS-ON-THE-NHS-FIVE-YEAR-FORWARD-VIEW.pdf

Patients: Transport

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to improve the availability of transport services for elderly patients to get to hospital appointments.

Steve Brine: The provision of appropriate patient transport services (PTS) in line with national guidance is a matter for local National Health Service commissioners. These services are provided on the basis of medical need, regardless of location. The eligibility criteria are outlined in the document Eligibility Criteria for Patient Transport Services, which also sets out that eligible patients must reach appointments in reasonable time and in reasonable comfort, without detriment to their medical condition. For patients who are not eligible on medical grounds for PTS, but have a low income and receive a qualifying benefit or allowance, refunds for the cost of travelling to hospitals for treatment may also be claimed under the ‘Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme’. Further details about this scheme can be found at the following link: https://www.nhs.uk/nhsengland/healthcosts/pages/travelcosts.aspx

Restraint Techniques: Children and Young People

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to publish the response to his Department's consultation entitled Restraint and restrictive intervention: draft guidance, published in November 2017.

Jackie Doyle-Price: That consultation closed on 24 January 2018. We are currently analysing the results and hope to publish the response in the spring.

Healthy Start Scheme

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to increase the uptake of the healthy start programme among pregnant women and young families.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Government is working to ensure that eligible families are aware of the Healthy Start scheme and how this will benefit them. The scheme is promoted through the Healthy Start and Start4Life websites, reminding families to take up the vouchers. In addition, the Healthy Start Issuing Unit is proactive in identifying and making contact with families who may be eligible for Healthy Start.

Domestic Violence

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how the upcoming Domestic Violence and Abuse Bill will take into account the effect of violence and abuse on the mental health of women and girls.

Jackie Doyle-Price: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Swansea East on 21 December to Question 119325.

Flour: Folic Acid

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to require that folic acid is added to all flour sold in the UK to reduce the number of birth defects.

Steve Brine: Ministers are considering the issue of mandatory fortification and will set out their position in due course.

Carillion: Insolvency

Mrs Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 31 January to Question 125124, on Carillion: Insolvency, when he expects a new contractor to be appointed to complete the Royal Liverpool Hospital scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 31 January to Question 125124, on Carillion: Insolvency, when he expects the new Royal Liverpool University Hospital to be completed, and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Barclay: The Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contract between the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust and the PFI Project Company is still in place, which means that the Company is still contractually obliged to manage the project and find a construction firm or subcontractor who can continue the building work. The Royal Liverpool Hospital scheme is very well advanced. The PFI Project Company is currently in discussions with PwC (on behalf of the official receiver), their lenders and with other service and construction companies to assess how best to continue delivering these contracts. We are expecting news soon following the PFI company’s discussions with its lenders.

Department for International Development

Nigeria: Overseas Aid

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she has taken to provide humanitarian support to people (a) forced to flee their homes and (b) otherwise affected as a result of clashes among farmers, tribes and herdsmen in Nigeria.

Harriett Baldwin: We are concerned by the suffering caused by ‎violence between cattle herders and farmers in Nigeria. The UK has supported a number of initiatives that have brought communities together and provided livelihoods and economic opportunities in the affected areas. We are encouraging the Government of Nigeria to prevent further violence and provide support to the victims of the conflict. At present, the UK’s humanitarian response in Nigeria is focused on providing assistance and protection to hundreds of thousands of people affected by the Boko Haram conflict in the country’s north-east.

Developing Countries: Disease Control

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment her Department has made of the effect of its investment in the Robert Carr Civil Society Networks Fund on the UK’s contribution to the Global Fund.

Alistair Burt: DFID assesses the Robert Carr Civil Society Networks Fund annually, as we do for all our programmes, and the reviews are available on the DFID Development Tracker at https://devtracker.dfid.gov.uk/.In partnership with the Robert Carr Civil Society Networks Fund, the Global Fund to fight AIDS TB and Malaria has funded eight global and regional networks of sex workers, transgender people, people who use drugs, men who have sex with men, young people and people living with HIV, to mobilize their respective constituencies at the country level, helping them to address harmful policies, challenge human rights abuses and shape HIV services.As of January 2016, around US$5 million had been committed over two years to fund activities in over 50 countries and every region of the Global Fund portfolio through this initiative.

Zimbabwe: Elections

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support the Government is providing to Zimbabwe to ensure that the 2018 elections in that country are free and fair.

Harriett Baldwin: DFID is providing £5m of new funding for civil society organisations helping Zimbabwe build a more democratic electoral process in the run-up to and following the 2018 elections. This includes:- Empowering citizens and civil society to hold the state to account and to call for changes to the electoral commission and legislation to better represent the people- Improving the electoral environment, for example by helping people to register to vote, including women, and those with disabilities- Supporting civil society organisations to monitor elections, including around issues of security, human rights and equality- Improving observation and monitoring of voting to ensure it is free and fair- Surveying voters to find out more about the voting process and what is preventing people from registering to vote.

Bangladesh: Clothing

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to help promote ethical working practices in Bangladeshi factories that supply clothing stores in the UK.

Alistair Burt: My department is committed to improving conditions in factories which supply clothing to UK stores. We support the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) which is a leading alliance of British companies, trade unions and non-governmental organisations working together to improve the lives of workers around the world, including in Bangladesh. In the ready-made garment industry we work alongside others as ambassadors focussing on respect for labour rights, structural integrity of buildings and occupational safety and health, and responsible business conduct.

Developing Countries: HIV Infection

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to deliver her commitment to leave no-one behind within the global HIV response.

Alistair Burt: DFID’s HIV response prioritises those still left behind by the huge progress made in recent years, including adolescents, women and girls and under-served groups such as men who have sex with men, injecting drug users, sex workers and prisoners.For example, through the Robert Carr Civil Society Networks Fund we are supporting civil society networks of people affected by HIV to demand their rights, address stigma and discrimination and hold governments to account. The UK is proud to be a founding member of this Fund and has committed £9 million, since its start, to help champion their rights to access prevention and treatment services.

Palestinians: Radio

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to the Memorandum of Understanding between the Palestinian Authority (PA) and her Department, what discussions her Department has had with the PA on the broadcast on official PA radio on 1 January 2018 of a song encouraging martyrdom.

Alistair Burt: The UK Government deplores any act of incitement to violence; the Secretary of State and I raised the issue of incitement during our respective bilateral meetings with senior Palestinian counterparts in January 2018. Our partnership with the Palestinian Authority (PA) includes a commitment from the Palestinian leadership to adhere to the principle of non-violence and to tackle language and avoid actions that could incite violence or hatred. The UK continues to urge the Palestinian leadership to uphold this principle.

Palestinians: Television

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to the Memorandum of Understanding between the Palestinian Authority (PA) and her Department, what discussions her Department has had with the PA on the broadcast on official PA TV on 15 December 2017 of a poem stating that Jews defile Jerusalem.

Alistair Burt: The UK Government deplores any act of incitement to violence; the Secretary of State and I raised the issue of incitement during our respective bilateral meetings with senior Palestinian counterparts in January 2018. Our partnership with the Palestinian Authority (PA) includes a commitment from the Palestinian leadership to adhere to the principle of non-violence and to tackle language and avoid actions that could incite violence or hatred. The UK continues to urge the Palestinian leadership to uphold this principle.

Palestinians: Television

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to the Memorandum of Understanding between the Palestinian Authority (PA) and her Department, what discussions her Department has had with the PA on the broadcast on official PA TV on 11 December 2017 of an interview where Jews were described as the world’s stench.

Alistair Burt: The UK Government deplores any act of incitement to violence; the Secretary of State and I raised the issue of incitement during our respective bilateral meetings with senior Palestinian counterparts in January 2018. Our partnership with the Palestinian Authority (PA) includes a commitment from the Palestinian leadership to adhere to the principle of non-violence and to tackle language and avoid actions that could incite violence or hatred. The UK continues to urge the Palestinian leadership to uphold this principle.

Palestinians: Television

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to the Memorandum of Understanding between the Palestinian Authority (PA) and her Department, what discussions her Department has had with the PA on the broadcast on official PA TV on both 11 and 17 December 2017 of a music video featuring two suicide bombers.

Alistair Burt: The UK Government deplores any act of incitement to violence; the Secretary of State and I raised the issue of incitement during our respective bilateral meetings with senior Palestinian counterparts in January 2018. Our partnership with the Palestinian Authority (PA) includes a commitment from the Palestinian leadership to adhere to the principle of non-violence and to tackle language and avoid actions that could incite violence or hatred. The UK continues to urge the Palestinian leadership to uphold this principle.

Palestinians: Newspaper Press

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to the Memorandum of Understanding between the Palestinian Authority (PA) and her Department, what discussions her Department has had with the PA on the description in the official PA daily newspaper on 23 January 2018 of the Munich Olympic terrorist attack as a quality operation.

Alistair Burt: The UK Government deplores any act of incitement to violence; the Secretary of State and I raised the issue of incitement during our respective bilateral meetings with senior Palestinian counterparts in January 2018. Our partnership with the Palestinian Authority (PA) includes a commitment from the Palestinian leadership to adhere to the principle of non-violence and to tackle language and avoid actions that could incite violence or hatred. The UK continues to urge the Palestinian leadership to uphold this principle.

Palestinians: Television

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Memorandum of Understanding with the Palestinian Authority (PA), whether her Department has had discussions with the PA on reports of a broadcast on a children's television programme  on 20 January 2018 encouraging children to follow the example of terrorists.

Alistair Burt: The UK Government deplores any act of incitement to violence; the Secretary of State and I raised the issue of incitement during our respective bilateral meetings with senior Palestinian counterparts in January 2018. Our partnership with the Palestinian Authority (PA) includes a commitment from the Palestinian leadership to adhere to the principle of non-violence and to tackle language and avoid actions that could incite violence or hatred. The UK continues to urge the Palestinian leadership to uphold this principle.

Palestinians: Parades

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Memorandum of Understanding with the Palestinian Authority (PA), what discussions her Department has had with the PA on reports that people wore mock suicide belts and carried detonators at a parade in Ramallah on 8 January 2017.

Alistair Burt: The UK Government deplores any act of incitement to violence; the Secretary of State and I raised the issue of incitement during our respective bilateral meetings with senior Palestinian counterparts in January 2018. Our partnership with the Palestinian Authority (PA) includes a commitment from the Palestinian leadership to adhere to the principle of non-violence and to tackle language and avoid actions that could incite violence or hatred. The UK continues to urge the Palestinian leadership to uphold this principle.

Palestinians: Television

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Memorandum of Understanding with the Palestinian Authority (PA), whether her Department has had discussions with the PA on reports of a broadcast on a children's television programme of a poem inciting violence against Israelis on 6 January 2017.

Alistair Burt: The UK Government deplores any act of incitement to violence; the Secretary of State and I raised the issue of incitement during our respective bilateral meetings with senior Palestinian counterparts in January 2018. Our partnership with the Palestinian Authority (PA) includes a commitment from the Palestinian leadership to adhere to the principle of non-violence and to tackle language and avoid actions that could incite violence or hatred. The UK continues to urge the Palestinian leadership to uphold this principle.

Palestinians: Schools

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Memorandum of Understanding with the Palestinian Authority (PA), whether her Department has had discussions with the PA on the naming of a school after Salah Khalaf.

Alistair Burt: The UK Government deplores any act of incitement to violence; the Secretary of State and I raised the issue of incitement during our respective bilateral meetings with senior Palestinian counterparts in January 2018. Our partnership with the Palestinian Authority (PA) includes a commitment from the Palestinian leadership to adhere to the principle of non-violence and to tackle language and avoid actions that could incite violence or hatred. The UK continues to urge the Palestinian leadership to uphold this principle.

USA: UNRWA

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment she has made of the effect of the reduction in US funding to the UN Relief and Works Agency on assistance for (a) Palestinian refugees in Syria, (b) people living in the West Bank and (c) people living in Gaza.

Alistair Burt: I refer the Honourable Member to the answer I provided on 30 January 2018 to Question number 125084.

UNRWA

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate she has made of the number and proportion of people dependent on UN Relief and Works Agency funding in (a) Gaza, (b) the West Bank, (c) Syria, (d) Jordan and (e) Lebanon.

Alistair Burt: The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has a unique mandate to provide essential support and protection for over five million registered Palestinian refugees in Gaza, the West Bank, Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon. All registered Palestinian refugees can access UNRWA services; According to UNRWA’s latest field of operations map in 2017, there are 618,128 in Syria, 532,173 in Lebanon, 2,286,643 in Jordan, 997,173 in the West Bank, and 1,435,616 in Gaza.

USA: UNRWA

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether the Government plans to increase its funding for UN Relief and Works Agency in the light of the reduction in funding from the US Administration.

Alistair Burt: UK officials are working closely with the UN Relief and Work Agency (UNRWA) and other donors to assess how best to ensure the continuity of essential services to Palestinian refugees at this time, in line with humanitarian principles. The UK remains firmly committed to supporting UNRWA, and has so far provided around £50 million in 2017/18 based on the Agency meeting rigorous performance indicators. The UK will monitor the impact of any cuts to UNRWA’s services closely.

Department for Education

Respite Care: Children

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of provision of respite care for children with severe and multiple additional behavioural needs; and what steps his Department is taking to improve the level provision of such care.

Nadhim Zahawi: Since 2011, local authorities have been under a duty to provide a range of short breaks services, sometimes known as respite care, which can provide support for children with a range of needs including severe and behavioural needs. Local authorities are required to publish a local short breaks services statement showing what services are available, how they are responding to the needs of local parents and carers, and how they can be accessed, including any eligibility criteria. While responsibility for funding short breaks rests with local authorities, the Department for Education has offered support and to help make surelocal authorities meet their statutory requirements; has funded innovative grants that promote best practice for delivering services; and continues to consider how we can best support local authorities who are working to deliver sustainable short breaks provision. The government is able to oversee how much local authorities have planned to spend on short breaks provision through authorities’ annual section 251 returns. This information can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/section-251-2016-to-2017. Departmental surveys such as the Children’s Services Omnibus also gather information on Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) services provided by local authorities, including short breaks. There are also opportunities through the new Ofsted and Care Quality Commission SEND inspections framework for local areas to consider how well they are providing for the education, health and care needs of those with SEND, including their need for short breaks services. A thematic ‘one year on’ report published by the two inspectorates in October 2017 found that “children and young people who have SEND and their families typically had good access to high-quality short breaks” (full publication here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/652694/local_area_SEND_inspections_one__year__on.pdf).

Pupil Exclusions

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to press release Prime Minister launches world-leading project on impact of ethnicity on everyday life, published on 10 October 2017, what the timetable is for his Department's external review of exclusions; and if he will list the groups disproportionately likely to be excluded on whose experiences that review will focus.

Nick Gibb: The Department will publish full details of the review, including timetables and how views can be submitted, in due course.The externally led review of exclusions practice will consider how schools use exclusion overall and how this impacts on pupils, particularly why some groups such as those eligible for free school meals, those with special educational needs and disabilities, looked after children, children in need and pupils from certain ethnic groups are more likely to be excluded from school.The Department publishes exclusion rates by characteristic annually. The most recent release can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/permanent-and-fixed-period-exclusions-in-england-2015-to-2016.

Teachers: Training

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to ensure providers of initial teacher meet the requirements set out in the Framework of core content for initial teacher training.

Nick Gibb: The framework of core content for initial teacher training (ITT) was published in July 2016 alongside two reports on behaviour management content and national standards for ITT mentors. These reports further support providers to meet the framework’s requirements.In addition, Ofsted uses the framework of core content when making judgements regarding the quality of training and the leadership and management of an ITT partnership. 99% of all ITT partnerships inspected by Ofsted were judged to be either good or outstanding at their most recent inspection.

Schools: Mental Health Services

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to mental health services in schools.

Nick Gibb: On 4 December 2017, the Government published the green paper ‘Transforming Children and Young People’s Mental Health Provision’, which set out our proposals for improving access to mental health services in schools supported by over £300 million of funding. The consultation on the green paper ends on 2 March 2018. The proposals include the provision for new clinically-supervised Mental Health Support Teams based in or near schools. The teams will provide earlier intervention and treatments for those with mild or moderate needs and also offer a better link to specialist NHS services. The teams will work with Designated Senior Mental Health Leads in schools. In addition, the green paper proposals include a trial of a 4-week maximum wait for pupils to access specialist NHS services that will offer pupils with more serious conditions timely access to specialist support.

Free School Meals

Ruth George: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children will be eligible for free school meals as a result of the protections for entitlement under the existing arrangements.

Nadhim Zahawi: As explained in our consultation paper, we have recently brought forward proposals to update the temporary criteria for free school meals eligibility under universal credit. In setting these new criteria, we are ensuring that the new arrangements are fair, consistent and simple to deliver. The consultation paper is available to view here: https://consult.education.gov.uk/healthy-pupil-unit/fsm/. Last year, around 1.1 million of the most disadvantaged children were eligible for and claiming a free meal. As a result of our proposed criteria, we estimate that by 2022 around 50,000 more children will benefit from a free school meal compared to the previous benefits system. In addition, we will also provide generous protections to ensure that no child will lose out as a result of these changes up until the end of the rollout of universal credit. This is part of ongoing policy development.

School Day

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the number of schools reducing their school week to fewer than five full days; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: All schools have the autonomy to decide the structure and duration of their school day, which includes the flexibility to decide when their school day should start and finish. The Department does not collect data on the number of schools who have chosen to make changes to their school days. We trust head teachers to decide how best to structure their school day to support their pupils’ education.The Education (School Day and School Year) (England) Regulations 1999 require all maintained schools to be open to educate their pupils for at least 380 sessions (190 days) in each school year. There are no specific legal requirements setting out over how many days in each week these sessions should be delivered, or how long each individual school day should be. Governing bodies of all maintained schools in England are responsible for deciding when sessions should begin and end on each school day. They are also responsible for deciding the length of each lesson and the timings for the morning session, the midday break, and the afternoon session. Academy and free school funding agreements state that the duration of the school day is the responsibility of the academy trust.In the event that a school decides to make changes to its school day, it is our expectation that the school should act reasonably; giving parents notice and considering those affected, including pupils, teachers, and parents.

Special Educational Needs: Finance

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 23 January 2018 to Question 123718, on Special Educational Needs: Finance, if he will name the (a) 41 local authorities who have requested movement of funding from direct schools funding to budgets for special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and (b) eight local authorities who have requested non-block movement variations for children with SEND for the 2018 to 2019 funding year.

Nadhim Zahawi: Fifteen local authorities have withdrawn their requests for movement of funding from direct schools funding to budgets for special education needs and disabilities and one new request has been received. There are, therefore, requests from 27 local authorities currently lodged with the department. The names of these local authorities are listed in the attachment. We have received one new request for non-block movement variations for children with special needs and disabilities. There are, therefore, requests from nine local authorities currently lodged with the department. These are listed separately in the attachment.



Local Authority Requests
(Excel SpreadSheet, 13.08 KB)

Apprentices: Finance

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when his Department plans to issue guidance on the transfer of apprenticeship vouchers between employers.

Anne Milton: The department will be issuing guidance to employers prior to the introduction of measures in April 2018 to allow levy-paying employers to transfer up to 10% of the annual value of funds entering their apprenticeship service account to another employer or an apprenticeship training agency. We are working closely with employers to develop an approach that supports the needs of employers of all sizes as well as the objectives of the apprenticeship programme.

Adoption

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress is being made on the regionalisation of local authority adoption teams.

Nadhim Zahawi: There are currently six live Regional Adoption Agencies covering 31 local authorities. Another 12 Regional Adoption Agencies are working towards going live. We are working with the remaining local authorities on their plans to form a Regional Adoption Agency.The government is committed to regionalising the adoption system to ensure those children, for whom adoption is the right path, are given the best chance of finding a loving family as quickly as possible. All local authorities should be part of a Regional Adoption Agency by 2020.

Adoption

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the current number of adopters is in England; and how many children are awaiting adoption.

Nadhim Zahawi: The department’s main source of information on adoption is the Children looked after in England including adoption statistical first release published here:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-looked-after-children.Table E4 of the national tables shows that there were 2,580 children waiting with a placement order who were not yet placed for adoption at 31 March 2017.The Adoption Leadership Board (ALB) quarterly survey shows further information on adopters recruited by local authorities and voluntary adoption agencies in England. The reports are published here:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/adoption-system-performance.The latest quarterly data shows that there were 2,800 approved adoptive families waiting to be matched with children at 30 September 2016.

Adoption

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many local authorities are currently not accepting new applications for people to become adopters.

Nadhim Zahawi: The information requested is not held centrally

Foster Care

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the first report of the Education Committee, Fostering, published on 22 December 2017, HC 340, what steps his Department is taking to implement measures to improve financial support and working conditions for foster carers.

Nadhim Zahawi: Foster parents play a vital role in supporting some of our most vulnerable children and young people. I am committed to ensuring that foster parents receive the support and recognition they need to meet the needs of the children they look after.The National Minimum Standards for fostering services are clear that every foster parent with a child in placement should receive an allowance that covers the full cost of caring for a child. The government recommends a minimum allowance that fostering service providers should pay to their foster parents each week. Whilst it is for fostering service providers to decide the rate paid to foster parents, our strong expectation is that they will receive at least the national minimum allowance.The National Fostering Stocktake, an independent review of the fostering system in England, has now concluded. It considered the support, recognition and status of foster parents. I will carefully consider the recommendations made by the Education Select Committee and the independent review on the recognition and support, including financial support, that foster parents receive. The government response will be published in spring 2018.

Children: Day Care

Ms Marie Rimmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how he fulfils his duty under section 1(1) of the Childcare Act 2016 alongside or in conjunction with the duty of local authorities as set out in regulation 33 of the Childcare (Early Years Provision Free of Charge) (Extended Entitlement) Regulations 2016.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Childcare Act 2016 places a duty on the Secretary of State to secure 30 hours free childcare for three and four year olds of working parents who meet the eligibility criteria. Regulations made under the Childcare Care Act 2016 allow the Secretary of State to discharge his duty to secure this free childcare through English local authorities. All local authorities have the support of our delivery contractor, Childcare Works, to help ensure that all eligible children can take up a place.

Children's Centres: Inspections

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 25 January 2018 to Question 124199 on children's centre inspections, what plans his Department has to reintroduce regular inspections of children's centres.

Nadhim Zahawi: I refer the hon. Member for Batley and Spen to the answer I gave on 25 January 2018 to Question 124199 [http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2018-01-22/124199/].

Teachers

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department used the teacher supply model to model the number of teachers needed in each region in each of the last five years.

Nick Gibb: The Department uses the Teacher Supply Model (TSM) to estimate national postgraduate Initial Teacher Training place requirements for primary and each secondary subject to meet future demand. As a national model the TSM is not used to assess teachers needed in each region. The most recently published model is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tsm-and-initial-teacher-training-allocations-2018-to-2019. Training places are allocated on the basis of the published allocations methodology.The 2018/19 methodology is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/644642/FINAL_The_allocation_of_initial_teacher_training_places_methodology_for_.._.pdf. In light of requests for places, increased demand for teachers as determined by the TSM, and recent recruitment patterns, most postgraduate teacher training subjects now have unrestricted recruitment. To support Initial Teacher Training providers, the Department has published a range of analysis on local teacher supply issues in the first two teachers analysis compendiums:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/teachers-analysis-compendium-2017.https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/teachers-analysis-compendium-2.

Carillion: Insolvency

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make it his policy to ensure that former Carillion Training Services apprentices are paid until they find new employment or training; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) wages and (b) other terms and conditions for apprentices transferred from Carillion Training Services to the Construction Industry Training Board are maintained or improved.

Anne Milton: The government has taken steps to protect learners by transferring the training of all Carillion apprentices to the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB). CITB has already secured new employment, with wages, for over half of the apprentices and these apprentices will be working to the agreed terms and conditions of their new employer. We are working progressively to find alternative employers for all those affected. At present, it has been agreed that all former Carillion apprentices will continue to be paid beyond 31 January, whilst alternative employers are being sought.

Apprentices

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the number of apprentices who are being trained while working on public sector contracts delivered by private contractors.

Anne Milton: The information requested is not held centrally.

Apprentices

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 29 January 2018 to Question 124463, what plans he has to increase the rate of apprenticeship starts in order to meet the three million target by 2020.

Anne Milton: We are working with employers to offer more apprenticeship opportunities - helping them to plan their future programmes including through the account management of over 1,000 of the largest levy-paying employers. We have recently announced initial awards totalling around £485 million to hundreds of providers across the country to provide apprenticeship training to non-levy paying employers. We are using every opportunity to communicate the benefits of apprenticeships and encouraging the take up. A new phase of our communications campaign started on 26 January 2018, to encourage employers to offer apprenticeship opportunities and to promote these to potential apprentices. This will build on the National Apprenticeship Service’s ongoing engagement and communications activity to increase awareness and promote the benefits of apprenticeships among employers and learners. Apprenticeships are open to individuals and employers across the country, and we are investing in the whole of England by doubling funding for apprenticeships to £2.45 billion by 2019-20 – twice what was spent in 2010-11 – and giving employers more power than ever before to design apprenticeship training that meets their needs.

Training: Devolution

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to Answer of 30 January 2018 to Question 124959, what his policy is on devolving the skills budget other than adult learning to directly elected mayors and combined authorities.

Anne Milton: At this time, the department has no further plans to devolve other areas of skills provision other than the devolution of the adult education budget in 2019/20. We recognise the importance of maintaining a consistently high quality 16 to 19 year old education system to help promote social mobility. In addition, the department is working collaboratively with local areas to ensure people can gain the skills that meet both local and national needs including setting up Skills Advisory Panels to further inform local areas about the need for skills.

Department for Education: Staff

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people working for his Department have experience of working in statutory children's social work.

Anne Milton: The information requested is not held centrally.

Ministry of Justice

Approved Premises

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the commencement date is for the HMPPS Approved Premises (manned) Guarding Service contracts with Sodexo and OCS.

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for what reasons the commencement date for the Approved Premises (manned) Guarding Service contracts were delayed.

Rory Stewart: The contracts which provide for the new night cover service commenced on 22 January, as planned. It was decided to reschedule the introduction of the service itself to allow more time for discussions with the suppliers and Approved Premises Managers, one-to-one consultation with staff potentially affected by the transfer and completion of recruitment and training activities. The new service will come into operation on 1 March.

Approved Premises

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment  HM Prisons and Probation Service (HMPPS) has made of the effect on the health and safety of (a) residents, (b) staff and (c) communities of contracting out night waking services in HMPPS Approved Premises.

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps HM Prisons and Probation Service has taken to ensure that the joint responsibility for health and safety in Approved Premises is written into an agreed safe system of work with Sodexo and OCS.

Rory Stewart: The new arrangements for night cover will promote the health and safety of those who live and work in in Approved Premises (AP) and of the community at large. Under previous arrangements in some AP, only one member of staff was required to be awake during the night hours. The new contracts will ensure that two staff are on duty and awake during the night in all Approved Premises. This model has been in operation for many years in certain parts of the country and has provided an effective service. The new contracts make appropriate provision to protect the health and safety of staff, service users and members of the public. Services must be delivered in full compliance with statutory obligations and the Health & Safety Executive’s Approved Codes of Practice. Suppliers must be able to provide professional advice to their own staff, sub-contractors and the client where required. The Ministry of Justice will audit a random sample of the suppliers’ safe systems of work to determine the appropriateness and effectiveness of the systems. Feedback on improvements or deficiencies will form part of the monthly governance meetings and quarterly commercial meetings with suppliers.

Approved Premises

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what contingency plans (a) his Department and (b) HM Prisons and Probation Service have in the event that (a) Sodexo and (b) OCS do not recruit sufficient staff to fulfil their Approved Premises (manned) Guarding Service contracts.

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether Sodexo and OCS will be permitted to use agency staff to operate their Approved Premises (manned) Guarding Service contracts.

Rory Stewart: Sodexo and OCS will be able to use agency staff who meet the required security clearance and accreditation standards.

Approved Premises: Crimes of Violence

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many National Probation Service staff working in approved premises have been assaulted by residents in the most recent two years for which data is available.

Rory Stewart: The Ministry of Justice has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Parole

Sir Vince Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his policy is on the publication of the reasons for Parole Board decisions.

Rory Stewart: Publication of the reasons for Parole Board decisions is currently prohibited by law.However, My Right Honourable Friend, the Secretary of State has announced that there will be a review of transparency in the parole process. On 19 January, he further announced that the review of transparency should consider the law, policy, guidance and practice relating to challenges to Parole Board decision making.The terms of reference for the review can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/674955/pb-review-terms-of-reference.pdfThe intention is that the review will be completed before Easter.

Birmingham Prison: Civil Disorder

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when the report on the investigation into the disturbance at HMP Birmingham led by Sarah Payne will be published.

Rory Stewart: I refer the Honourable Member to my answer of 25 January to Question 123578.

Sex Offender Treatment Programme

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 29 January 2018 to Question 124275, on Sex Offender Treatment Programme, in what number of cases the Parole Board has taken account of the completion of the sex offender treatment programme when making a decision on whether to (a) release a prisoner and (b) transfer a prisoner to open conditions since that programme was withdrawn.

Rory Stewart: The Parole Board collects data on release decisions according to sentence types. To provide the information requested would require the analysis of individual release decisions and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Prison Sentences

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were sentenced to custodial sentences in (a) men's and (b) women's prisons in each year since 2010.

Lucy Frazer: Data on admissions to custody following sentence, covering 2010 to 2016, is published online and can be found in table 2.6 in the following link.https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/610978/receptions-2016.xlsx

Eastwood Park Prison: Mother and Baby Units

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many women have been (a) refused entry to a Mother and Baby Unit and (b) relocated elsewhere since the closure for repair of Eastwood Park Mother and Baby Unit.

Dr Phillip Lee: No woman has been refused a place on a Mother and Baby Unit as a result of the temporary closure of Eastwood Park’s MBU. It remains the case that the temporary closure of the unit has not placed any undue pressure on MBU places and that the current provision of MBU places is sufficient to meet demand.

Offences against Children: Sports

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department plans to extend the scope of the proposed regulations on including sports coaches within the definition of a position of trust to (a) youth and (b) religious leaders.

Dr Phillip Lee: The protection of children remains a priority for this Government and we keep this important area of the law under review. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is currently developing proposals to extend the definition of a ‘position of trust’ in the Sexual Offences Act 2003, to bring “sports coaches” into that definition. My officials are working closely with their DCMS counterparts in considering these proposals. We have no plans to extend the definitions to include youth and religious leaders.

Social Security Benefits: Appeals

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if his Department will release the criteria used by social security tribunals in determining whether to expedite the hearing of appeals against decisions made by the Department for Work and Pensions on benefit entitlement.

Lucy Frazer: The question of expedition is at the discretion of a judge who will make a case management decision on the issue taking into account all the circumstances known about the case. Such decisions may be revised on application and are subject to appeal if an error of law is made.

Cybercrime

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, under what categories cyber crime is recorded in the justice service systems.

Lucy Frazer: Many criminal offences may be committed online or offline. However, the Ministry of Justice only records information on offences against the statute under which a prosecution is brought; and not on whether a particular prosecution was for ‘cyber-crime’

Residence Orders

Sir Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the (a) cost and (b) number of applications (i) made and (ii) granted for the enforcement of existing section 8 orders in the country courts; and if he will make a statement.

Lucy Frazer: We do not hold data on the specific costs of enforcement cases. Data modelling undertaken by the Department in 2014 estimated the average cost for issuing all types of private law Children proceedings to be £270 and was published in https://consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-communications/court-fees-proposals-for-reform/supporting_documents/courtfeesconsultation.pdfInformation on the number of children who are the subject of applications and orders for enforcement in private law Children Act proceedings is published in Tables 3 and 4 of Family Court Statistics Quarterly available from www.gov.uk

Department for International Trade

Members' Interests

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Trade Policy of 30 January 2018, Official Report, column 242, what instance the hon. Member for Sefton Central impugning the hon. Member for Corby on his interest in the steel industry refers to.

Greg Hands: I was referring to the oral contribution of the Member for Sefton Central of 30 January 2018, Official Report, column 233.

Trade Remedies Authority: Public Appointments

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Trade Policy of 30 January 2018, Official Report, column 243, if he will take steps to increase the transparency and provision of information to Parliament on the reasons for his appointment of members of the Trade Remedies Authority.

Greg Hands: All public appointments to the Trade Remedies Authority will be made as part of a competitive process. We are consulting with the Cabinet Office on conducting these appointments in line with the principles of the Governance Code for Public Appointments, which sets out the roles of various parties in the process – including Ministers – and the standards they should adhere to. This guidance is freely available to the public online.

Trade Remedies Authority

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Trade Policy of 30 January 2018, Official Report, column 254 , what the period of time will be between the Trade Remedies Authority making recommendations to the Secretary of State and him reporting his response to Parliament.

Greg Hands: The Government’s first priority is to ensure that UK industries have recourse to protections if they suffer injury, and therefore recognises that a swift response is crucial to UK industry. On receiving a recommendation from the Trade Remedies Authority, it is my Rt. Hon Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade’s responsibility to respond in a timely manner, while also ensuring that any public interest considerations are given due regard.

Revenue and Customs: Disclosure of Information

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Trade Policy of 30 January 2018, Official Report, column 261, for what reasons HMRC needs a power to request information.

Greg Hands: The collection of information to assist the Government to confirm the number and identity of UK exporters is a new function and therefore must be defined in legislation. Clause 7, subsection 1, creates this new function.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Leasehold

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing,Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Written Statement of 21 December 2017, HCWS384, what steps he is taking to ensure that existing owners of houses purchased under a leasehold agreement will benefit from the same protections afforded to new buyers.

Dominic Raab: The Government response to the consultation on ‘Tackling unfair practices in the leasehold market’ set out a range of measures to cut out unfair and abusive practices within the leasehold system. This included introducing legislation to prohibit the development of new build leasehold houses, other than in exceptional circumstances, and restricting ground rents in newly established leases of houses and flats to a peppercorn (zero financial value).For existing leaseholders, the Government wants to see developer compensation schemes going further and faster, with support extended to all those with onerous ground rents, including second hand buyers and for customers to be proactively contacted. We will be keeping a close eye on progress and will consider measures that could be pursued to take action if necessary.We want to make it easier for existing leaseholders to exercise their right to buy their freehold, or extend their lease, for this to be faster, fairer and cheaper, and to be available as soon as possible.

High Rise Flats: Fire Prevention

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether Approved Document B allows for combustible material to be used in the cladding of a building with a storey of 18 metres or more above ground level.

Dominic Raab: Holding answer received on 29 January 2018



Requirement B4 (1) of the Building Regulations 2010 states that “The external walls of the building shall adequately resist the spread of fire over the walls and from one building to another, having regard to the height, use and position of the building”. Paragraphs 12.5 to 12.9 of Approved Document B give guidance on how to meet this requirement. The guidance identifies the use of combustible materials in a cladding system, such as insulation product and filler materials, as a risk to tall buildings over 18 metres in height.The guidance provides two options. The first is for each individual component of the wall to be of limited combustibility. The second is to ensure that all the combined elements of a wall adequately resist the spread of fire when tested as a whole installed system, in accordance with British Standard BS 8414.

High Rise Flats: Fire Prevention

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many times which materials have failed the 8414 large-scale tests conducted by the Building Research Establishment in the last 5 years; and of those materials that failed such tests what information his Department holds on how many buildings there are that are clad in those materials.

Dominic Raab: Holding answer received on 29 January 2018



Results of commercially sponsored tests carried out by independent test laboratories are not held centrally. The Department regularly publishes data on the Building Safety Programme. The latest data release was published on 22 January 2018 and is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/building-safety-programme-monthly-data-release-january-2018.

Housing: Safety

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure the costs of making buildings safe are not passed on to tenants.

Dominic Raab: Holding answer received on 29 January 2018



Landlords are expected to keep their properties free of potential hazards and safe for tenants. Where they fail to do so, local authorities have strong powers under the Housing Act 2004 to require necessary improvements to be made. In the rental market, the extent to which the cost of keeping a property safe is reflected in the rent is a commercial decision to be taken by individual landlords, along with other relevant facts such as the size and location of the property and the level of demand in the area.Where the tenants are leaseholders they can seek free initial advice, funded by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, from the Leaseholder Advisory Service (LEASE). In addition, Section 20 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 consultation process ensures that leaseholders contributing towards the upkeep and maintenance of the building where they live have input into how their money is spent.The government would like to see building owners doing all they can to protect leaseholders from the costs of interim measures and cladding remediation – either by funding it themselves or looking at alternative routes such as insurance claims, warranties or legal action.The department is keeping the situation under review.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Chief Scientific Advisers

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government how many meetings he held with his Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser between October 2017 and December 2017.

Jake Berry: The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government had numerous meetings attended by analysts and technical specialists from across the Department between October 2017 and December 2017.

Housing: Cooperatives

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to encourage the growth of housing co-operation; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many homes that are in housing cooperatives were completed in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Dominic Raab: Holding answer received on 29 January 2018



Co-operative housing is an important element of the community-led housing sector. The community-led sector offers significant potential for helping to meet housing need across England. In addition to helping increase the rate of delivery of new housing, it will help deliver a range of benefits including diversifying the housebuilding sector, improving design and construction quality, developing modern methods of construction and sustaining local communities and local economies. The support and close involvement of the local community enables the community-led approach to secure planning permission and deliver housing that could not be brought forward through speculative development.In December 2016, the Government launched the Community Housing Fund to put local groups who know their area’s needs best in the driving seat and help them deliver housing that is affordable to the local community. For the 2016/17 financial year, grants were awarded to 148 local authorities which were particularly affected by local affordability issues or high rates of second home ownership. That funding has been used to build capacity within local authorities and other organisations to support the development of community-led housing projects. It has also been used to directly contribute to the cost of schemes through capital subsidy.We recently announced that a new programme to deliver the Community Housing Fund will be launched shortly and delivered by Homes England. We will be inviting any appropriate organisation – including community groups, registered providers and local authorities – to apply for capital and revenue funding. The new programme will run until at least 2019/20. The announcement can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/community-led-housingThe department does not hold data on the number of homes delivered by housing cooperatives. We will be collecting data on the number of homes supported by the new fund.

Churches: Bellringing

Craig Mackinlay: To ask the Minister for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 15 January 2018 to Question 116503, whether the revised National Planning Policy Framework to include new developments will take account of culture, history and tradition where noise nuisance complaints are made about the continued ringing of church bells and chimes by residents living within existing developments.

Craig Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 15 January 2018 to  Question 116503, whether the revised National Planning Policy Framework to include new development will take account of culture, history and tradition where noise nuisance complaints are made about the continued ringing of church bells and chimes by residents living within developments that have changed in use such as where a house has been converted to a Bed and Breakfast.

Dominic Raab: Holding answer received on 29 January 2018



The revised National Planning Policy Framework will clearly set out that the developer or ‘agent of change’ should be responsible for mitigating noise impacts and other potential nuisances arising from existing businesses and other organisations, such as churches when locating new development or changing uses nearby. However, noise nuisance complaints in existing developments are not handled through the planning system. They are subject to the provisions of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and other relevant law.We are committed to working across government to further strengthen the ‘agent of change’ principle in policy and guidance.

Private Finance Initiative

Thelma Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to paragraph 1.25 of PFI and PF2, published by the NAO on 18 January 2018, HC 718, what plans his Department has to start recording data on the cost effectiveness of PFI deals.

Rishi Sunak: My Department supports Public Finance Initiatives (PFI) Housing and Joint Service Centre projects contracted directly by local authorities. The majority of PFI projects date back to 1999-2010 and no PFIs have been set up since 2014. They were subject to extensive value for money assessments before authorities entered into them and, in 2011, the Department ran a savings exercise on projects still within their procurement stage which identified over £531 million of savings over the lifetime of remaining projects.All PFI projects are now operational and authorities are expected to continue to seek to improve the value for money of their projects wherever possible. The Department offers advice and support directly to individual local authorities and holds network events to share best practice between local authorities on making savings on its supported Housing and Joint Service Centre PFI projects.

Housing: Construction

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 25 January 2018 to Question 123693, if he will publish updated figures on the (a) number, (b) type and (c) tenure of homes under construction on public land since the publication of The Public Land for Housing programme 2015-20 annual report, published in February 2017.

Dominic Raab: The next Public Land for Housing programme annual report will be published shortly. This will give an update on homes constructed on public land.

Planning Permission: Appeals

Lee Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 16 January 2018 to Question 121545, on Planning Permission: Appeals, what the Planning Inspectorate appeal reference numbers are for the 7 minerals appeals stated.

Dominic Raab: The Planning Inspectorate appeal reference numbers for the 7 mineral appeals stated in the Answer of 16 January 2018 to Question UIN 121545 are: 2144739, 2155358, 2155352, 2160019, 3002435, 3166227 and 3167459.

Planning Permission: Quarrying

Lee Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to Sections 70a and 70b of the Town and County Planning Act 1990 (as amended), what estimate he has made of the number of overlapping and subsequent minerals applications, commonly known as twin track minerals applications, that have been submitted since 2011.

Dominic Raab: The Secretary of State has made no such estimate.In respect of “twin track” minerals applications, the Hon Member may wish to know that under section 70B of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, a local planning authority can decline to determine an application for planning permission. This may be when it has been made either on the same day as a similar application or when particular conditions apply in relation to a similar application, such as where that similar application is under consideration by the Secretary of State on appeal and the Secretary of State has not issued his decision.   An application is similar to another application if a local planning authority think that the development and the land to which the applications relate are the same or substantially the same.

Ground Rent

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to tackle leaseholds with doubling ground-rents; and what support his Department provides to tenants subject to those rents.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The Government recognises the challenges faced by existing leaseholders with onerous ground rents. We are currently considering how we can support existing leaseholders. A number of developers have introduced schemes to compensate individuals but we want to see this support extended to all those with onerous ground rents, including second hand buyers, and for customers to be proactively contacted. We will be checking on progress of these schemes and will consider measures that could be pursued to take action if necessary.We will also be introducing legislation so that, in the future, ground rents on newly established leases of houses and flats are set at a peppercorn (zero financial value).Leaseholders can seek free initial advice about ground rents and other leasehold issues via the Leasehold Advisory Service's (LEASE) website. Lease is a specialist advisory body funded by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to provide assistance to leaseholders. Alternatively, a telephone appointment can be booked to speak to one of LEASE's legal advisors or advice can be sought by email.

Land Use: West Midlands

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of hectares of land in the West Midlands changing to residential use that was (a) previously developed and (b) not previously developed, since 1988.

Dominic Raab: Holding answer received on 01 February 2018



Regional estimates of land use change are not published.

Sleeping Rough

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the cost of the increase in rough sleeping since 2010 on (a) local authorities and (b) other public bodies.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: We know that rough sleeping is damaging for individuals, and can be costly to public services. It is for this reason the Government has committed to halving rough sleeping by 2022 and eliminating it altogether by 2027. The Rough Sleeping and Homelessness Reduction Taskforce will design and drive forward the implementation of a cross-Government strategy to achieve this.

Social Rented Housing: Consultation Papers

Johnny Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when he plans to publish the social housing green paper.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The Social Housing Green Paper will be informed by the Housing Minister’s programme of tenant engagement; 11 of 12 tenant engagement events have been completed, with one more planned in February. Social housing tenants also have opportunity to share their views and concerns through an online survey until at least 16 February. Our aim is to publish in spring 2018.

Housing: Construction

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of his Department's house building targets on the ability of local communities to determine the outcome of proposed green belt developments.

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what target he has set for Halton Borough Council for new properties to be built in Halton each year for the next 15 to 30 years.

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what his policy is on (a) removing land for the green belt and (b) building on greenbelt land in areas where contamination has reduced the number of available brownfield sites.

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will lower the target for house building in local authority areas which have a higher than national average number of contaminated sites.

Dominic Raab: The Government has not prescribed any house building targets. Furthermore, it is not appropriate for me to comment on the specific circumstances in Halton given the current consultation on its Draft Allocations Local Plan.It is for local planning authorities to determine the housing requirement for their plans. This should be deliverable and take account of land constraints. The current approach for local authorities to assess housing need is too complex, costly and lacks transparency. This is why we have consulted on a new standard approach, which will provide a transparent and consistent basis for understanding the need for homes in each area. This is not a local housing target. Assessing need is the starting point in the process, not the end.The National Planning Policy Framework is clear that a Green Belt boundary may be altered only in exceptional circumstances, using the Plan process.

Supported Housing: Local Government Finance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that his proposed ring-fence on local authority funding for short-term supported housing will be in place for the longer term.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: We have already committed to a long-term ring-fence. Our recent consultations on supported housing closed on 23 January, we will now consider all responses and provide a full response in the early summer

Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence: Contracts

Angus Brendan MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if his Department will meet representatives of (a) Arnish fabrication yard and (b) other organisations to discuss access for small and medium-sized businesses to Government contracts.

Guto Bebb: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) recognises that small businesses are a vital source of growth and innovation in the UK, whether they are working directly with the Department or through its prime contractors. We therefore set an ambitious target that 25% of our procurement spend should go to small and medium-sized enterprises by 2022.The MOD operates an outreach service "Doing Business with Defence" for new and prospective suppliers. Any supplier can raise questions or comments directly with this team. Their contact details are:Email: dbscs-ecfinanceteam@mod.ukTel: 0151-242-2000

Armed Forces: Resignations

Ross Thomson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to provide further education for armed forces personnel on leaving the services.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Ministry of Defence promotes lifelong learning for members of the Armed Forces. Eligible personnel can access two schemes which help individuals pursue their personal development through further and higher education, both during their Service and up to five years after discharge, subject to the qualifying criteria being met. The Enhanced Learning Credits (ELC) scheme provides financial support towards the cost of higher-level learning and is funded by the single Services. ELC takes the form of a single up-front payment of up to £3,000 in each of a maximum of three Financial Years. Funding is available for courses that result in a nationally recognised qualification at Level 3 or above on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) (England, Northern Ireland and Wales), a Level 6 or above on the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF), or an approved international equivalent qualification with an approved learning provider if pursued overseas. Eligibility for ELC funding depends on length of service and date of enlistment, as set out in Joint Service Publication 822 ‘Defence Direction and Guidance for Training and Education’ (Part 1, Section 6.5, Paragraph 3). A copy of JSP 822 can be found at the following address: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/jsp-822-governance-and-management-of-defence-individual-training-education-and-skills In addition to the ELC scheme, Service leavers and Service personnel in their qualifying resettlement phase may use their enrolled ELC entitlement to access the Further Education and Higher Education Scheme (FE-HE). This can fund a first full Level 3 (GCE A level or Vocational Equivalent), or a first Higher Education qualification (such as a Foundation Degree or First Undergraduate Degree), with the tuition fees capped at £9,000. The scheme is comprised of the Defence contributions to the Armed Forces ELC scheme, supplemented by resources made available by partner Government Departments and Devolved Administrations. Full details of eligibility for FE-HE are set out in JSP 822 Part 1, Section 6.6, Paragraph 6.

Armed Forces: Cadets

Andrew Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much funding was allocated to youth cadets in North Yorkshire in (a) 2015-2016 and (b) 2016-2017.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Ministry of Defence Police

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Ministry of Defence Police has achieved the reinstatement of its Firearms Training Licence; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The suspension of the Ministry of Defence (MOD) Police Firearms Training Licence remains ongoing, but the College of Policing is currently scheduled to conduct its re-inspection assessment of the Force in April 2018. The suspension does not impact on security arrangements, or the ability of MOD Police officers to carry firearms while on duty.The College of Policing has commended the 'significant further progress' made by the MOD police.

Ministry of Defence: Technology

Martin Docherty-Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has published guidelines for employees on wireless-enabled activity trackers or other personal items of wearable technology; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Ministry of Defence takes the security of its personnel and establishments very seriously. Direction and guidance on personal security, including social media and personal electronic device use, has been issued and is kept under constant review. Specific issues relating to location services, including wireless-enabled activity trackers and other personal items of wearable technology, have been highlighted to personnel in awareness campaigns and briefings over recent years, and reiterated this week. For obvious reasons we do not comment on specific security arrangements or procedures.

Annington Homes

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many houses are planned to be returned to Annington Homes under the Better Defence Estate Strategy; and where those houses are located.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: This information is currently not held and when it becomes available it would be regarded as commercially sensitive.

Army: Recruitment

Mr Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people (a) applied for and (b) were enlisted in the British Army in (i) April to June, (ii) July to September and (iii) October to December 2017; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Lancaster: Between April and June 2017 there were 17,700 Regular applications and 10,740 Reserve applications. The applications between July and September for Regular were 17,620 and for Reserve 10,080. Between April and June 2017 there were 1,360 Regular and 740 Reserve enlistments. The enlistments between July and September for Regular were 1,910 and Reserve 760. The application and enlistment data is not directly comparable. Many of the applicants received between April and September 2017 would still have been in the recruitment process as of 30 September and will have enlisted at a later date. Notes:Application Data is a single service estimate and does not include Commonwealth Specialist Role Applications.Individuals may submit multiple applications.Enlistment data includes those that transfer between Services.Enlistment data excludes trained direct entrants ie those who direct entry into Phase 2 trainingArmy Future Reserve 2020 (FR20) includes volunteer reserves who are mobilised, High Readiness Reserves and those volunteer reserves serving on Full Time Reserve Service and Additional Duties Commitment. Sponsored Reserves who provide a more cost effective solution than volunteer reserve are also included.Figures have been rounded to 10; numbers ending in "5" have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias.

Department for Work and Pensions

Personal Independence Payment

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people were refused personal independence payment in 2016-17.

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people who were refused personal independence payment had that decision changed at mandatory reconsideration in 2016-17.

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people who were refused personal independence payment had that decision changed at Tribunal in 2016-17.

Sarah Newton: The figures requested are given in the table below. Initial claims made in 2016-17Number of people refused PIP390,200  Of whom: number of people who had that decision changed at mandatory reconsideration28,500number of people who had a decision changed at a tribunal appeal32,300Figures are for Great Britain.Appeal figures are based upon appeals against mandatory reconsideration decisions. Initial decisions cannot be appealed until a claimant has gone through the mandatory reconsideration process.Some decisions which are changed at mandatory reconsideration, and where the claimant continues to appeal for a higher PIP award, are then changed again at tribunal appeal. Therefore the number of people who had a decision changed at mandatory reconsideration and the number of people who had a decision changed at tribunal appeal cannot be added together.

Personal Independence Payment: Aberdeen South

Ross Thomson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of people had personal independence payment decisions overturned because of (a) mandatory reconsideration and (b) an appeal hearing in Aberdeen South constituency in each year since April 2013.

Sarah Newton: The table below shows the number of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) decisions and the number and proportion of mandatory reconsideration decisions and appeal decisions where the award was changed, by financial year of the initial PIP decision since the introduction of PIP in the Parliamentary Constituency of Aberdeen South.Number of PIP decisions, and number and proportion of mandatory reconsiderations decisions and appeal decisions where the award changed, by financial year of initial PIP decision.Financial year of initial PIP decisionNumber of PIP decisionsNumber of awards changed at MRProportion of PIP decisions changed at MRNumber of awards changed at appealProportion of PIP decisions where award changed at appeal2013/14100####2014/ 15560101%##2015/ 16680202%305%2016/ 171,030505%404%2017/18 (April 17 to Oct 17)580305%102%Total2,9501104%903%Data has been rounded to the nearest 10 and nearest percent.‘#’ means fewer than 5 in this category.There will be some degree of retrospection in these figures over time due to changes in individual case outcomes, particularly with appeals. It is expected that there will be lower numbers of completed appeals in recent months due to the time lag in appeal completion.Latest available data to October 2017

Disability Living Allowance: Medical Examinations

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many reports were requested from GPs in connection with claims for Disability Living Allowance claims in (a) 2017, (b) 2016 and (c) 2015.

Sarah Newton: The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Universal Credit: Credit Unions

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many universal credit payments have been made to credit unions in each month since its introduction.

Alok Sharma: The information requested is not available.

Pensions: Advisory Services

Paul Masterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which types of pension scheme will be required to provide information to the pensions dashboard in 2019.

Guy Opperman: As announced on 19th October 2017 the DWP is leading a feasibility study, working with industry, consumer-facing organisations and the regulators to explore the key issues and determine a path towards implementation for the pensions dashboard.As part of the feasibility study, the Department is considering how best to ensure the widest possible participation of pension schemes to meet the user need and ensure the dashboard is a success. To inform the study, the Department is looking at the experiences of other countries as well as taking into account the views from different parts of the UK pensions industry. The feasibility report is expected to be published in March 2018.

Pensions: Advisory Services

Paul Masterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions her Department has had with the Financial Conduct Authority on making the provision of pensions dashboards a regulated activity.

Guy Opperman: The DWP is leading a feasibility project to consider a range of issues that need to be determined in order to deliver the pensions dashboard.Pensions dashboards would involve access to personal information about pensions. Therefore, we would need to ensure that appropriate governance is in place so that the information on a pensions dashboards is presented and used in a way that is in the customer’s best interest.The DWP is working with other government departments, industry, consumer facing organisations and the regulators – The Pensions Regulator and Financial Conduct Authority – to carry out the feasibility work, and is expected to publish its findings in March 2018.

Pensions: Advisory Services

Paul Masterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions her Department has had with the Financial Conduct Authority on the timeframe for consultation and implementation of new regulations for the provision of a pensions dashboard.

Guy Opperman: The Department is carrying out a feasibility study exploring a range of issues associated with the delivery and implementation of a pensions dashboard. As part of this we are considering how to ensure that consumer interests are safeguarded and their information protected.The Department is working closely with the regulators –The Pensions Regulator and the Financial Conduct Authority to explore these issues and determine a path towards implementation. We expect to publish our initial findings in March 2018.

Universal Credit: Housing

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he expects the Universal Credit landlord portal to be fully accessible to all housing associations, mutuals and co-operatives.

Alok Sharma: Our plans will be to rollout the landlord portal to all sizeable landlords in the social rented sector by the end of the year. We estimate around 50% of properties in the Social Rented Sector are already covered by the landlord portal.

Slavery: Victims

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans she has to enhance support for (a) victims of modern slavery and (b) people who have been trafficked.

Kit Malthouse: Working closely with the Home Office and The Salvation Army we have recently introduced a supported handover to ease the transition from Home Office funded support to DWP support for victims of modern slavery and trafficking. We have also enhanced training and guidance for frontline staff so they are able to identify victims and refer them to the most appropriate support.

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Ged Killen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 24 January 2018 to Question 123047, if the Government will review the guidelines for decisions on mandatory reconsiderations for personal independence payments to take account of the decline in the number of cases in which the mandatory reconsideration decision is upheld since the introduction of that system.

Sarah Newton: Mandatory reconsideration benefits claimants, as it enables (i) the Department to provide a clear explanation of the decision; (ii) the claimant a further opportunity to present their case, including providing new evidence; and (iii) crucially, for decisions to be changed at the earliest opportunity, when appropriate.The overturn rate of appeals does not mean that mandatory reconsideration is not working. The main reason decisions are overturned on appeal is due to additional evidence, both oral and written, being provided at tribunal, which was not previously available at the initial decision or the mandatory reconsideration stageThere are strands of work in progress to drive continuous improvement in the appeals process. This includes improving the way further evidence is collected to ensure all relevant information is available to decision makers at the earliest opportunity and the recruitment of approximately 150 Presenting Officers who represent DWP cases at Tribunals and provide valuable insight into why decisions are overturned.

*No heading*

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Urgent Question of 30 January 2018, Official Report, columns 703 to 717, on PIP Back Payments, how many FTE staff in her Department she plans to allocate to re-examining those personal independence payment claims.

Sarah Newton: I refer the Hon. Member to the statement made by myself, Official Report, 30 January 2018, Columns 703 – 704.

Personal Independence Payment: Mental Health

Gavin Newlands: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, from which budget any back payments due to personal independence payment claimants will be funded.

Sarah Newton: PIP benefit payments to individual claimants, including any back payments, come from DWP’s Annual Managed Expenditure.

Winter Fuel Payments: Care Homes

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason a self-funding resident of a care home who is receiving pension credit is not eligible for the shared rate of the winter fuel payment; and if he will make a statement.

Guy Opperman: Residents of care homes who are in receipt of Pension Credit are not entitled to a Winter Fuel Payment. This is because the majority have their care and accommodation costs met by the local authority. A small number of Pension Credit recipients living in care homes do not receive local authority funding. Individual details of these recipients are not available and would need to be collected from local authorities on the basis of an application from the Pension Credit recipient. This would add significant costs to a system designed to make large numbers of payments at low unit cost.

Poverty: Children

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment her Department has made of the level of child poverty in Wolverhampton North East constituency using the four measures of poverty under the Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016.

Kit Malthouse: This Government is committed to action that improves long-term outcomes for children and families by focusing on tackling the root causes of poverty and disadvantage. The four ‘Life Chances’ measures introduced through the Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016, which replaced the income based targets set out in the Child Poverty Act 2010, are designed to drive action and measure progress in the areas that we know can make the biggest difference - parental worklessness and children’s educational achievement.The measures are based on official statistics produced by the Office for National Statistics on the proportion of children in workless households and the proportion of children in long-term workless households; and on Department for Education statistics on the educational attainment at Key Stage 4 of all pupils, and of disadvantaged pupils.Although these statistics do not provide data for individual constituencies, local authority-level data is available for the measure of all children in workless households and for both the educational attainment measures.In 2016, 21.4 per cent of children were in workless households in Wolverhampton local authority. This compares to 27.2 per cent in 2010.Source:https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peoplenotinwork/unemployment/bulletins/worklesshouseholdsforregionsacrosstheuk/2016In 2017, pupils sat reformed GCSEs in English language, English literature and maths for the first time, graded on a 9 to 1 scale. 35.6 per cent of all pupils and 22.8 per cent of disadvantaged pupils in the Wolverhampton local authority area achieved 9-5 in English and maths.Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/revised-gcse-and-equivalent-results-in-england-2016-to-2017

Work Capability Assessment

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if the Government will review of its approach to the work capability assessment process.

Sarah Newton: We are committed to assessing people with health conditions and disabilities fairly and accurately, helping people to access the right support. We recognise the importance of getting reform in this area right. We therefore intend to focus on testing new approaches to build our evidence base for future reform. In the Improving Lives: The Future of health, Work and Disability command paper we committed to work with external stakeholders to inform future changes to the Work Capability Assessment.

Children: Maintenance

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will remove the Child Maintenance Service fees for the parent with care in cases where a pay and collect arrangement is required due to non-payment by the non-resident parent.

Kit Malthouse: We undertook a 30 Month Review of charging, published August 2017, which did not indicate that charges are having an excessive impact on parents’ decisions when using the Service. We have no plans to change our charging structure, but will continue to monitor the impacts of the child maintenance reforms.

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Ms Marie Rimmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 25 January 2018 to Question 123740 on social security benefits: disability, how many times decision makers or quality assurance managers have contacted an assessment provider for clarification, advice or to return reports for re-work as unacceptable in each of the last three years.

Sarah Newton: For benefits administered under the Health and Disability Assessment Services contract rework volumes are recorded but volumes of enquiries for advice and clarification are not. Rework volumes for these benefits in 2017, 2016 and 2015 can be found in the table below:YearTotal Re-work201551320166322017481For Personal Independence Payments both rework and advice volumes are recorded, but clarification enquiry volumes are not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate costs. Rework and advice volumes for PIP in 2017, 2016 and 2015 can be found in the table below:YearTotal Re-workTotal Advice RequestsTotal number of PIP assessments20151,49334,687684,46020161,96758,436970,139201711,22877,4931,042,638It should be noted that in June 2017 the Department clarified the criteria that Case Managers should apply for the identification of PIP rework.

Personal Independence Payment

Ms Marie Rimmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what feedback mechanisms for reporting errors relating to personal independence payments assessments are in place between the courts and healthcare assessment providers.

Sarah Newton: The fact a tribunal comes to a different conclusion does not mean there has previously been an error. DWP decisions are most often overturned because of new written evidence that the claimant has not provided to DWP to consider previously or because of the claimant’s oral evidence.Over the past year the department has recruited over 150 Presenting Officers. These are being used at PIP and ESA hearings and are now providing direct feedback to decision makers and the assessment providers. Where appeals progress to the Upper Tribunal and the courts, the decisions and judgments handed down are used, where appropriate, to review existing decision making guidance, including that relating to PIP assessments.

Personal Independence Payment

Ms Marie Rimmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans she has to provide personal independence payments (PIP) claimants with an accompanying list of functional descriptors used to assess PIP claims and the points each descriptor carries.

Sarah Newton: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to her previous Question UIN 123022.

Social Security Benefits: Witham

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, If she will make an estimate of the number of unemployed people claiming benefits in Witham constituency.

Alok Sharma: The claimant count in Witham was 530 in December 2017. This is a fall of over 800, or more than 60%, since 2010.

*No heading*

Rosie Duffield: What steps her Department is taking to ensure that personal independence payment assessments are undertaken fairly and efficiently.

Sarah Newton: We are committed to ensuring claimants receive high quality, objective assessments. The Department holds regular performance meetings with Assessment Providers at local and senior levels. Assessments are independently audited and Departmental clinicians periodically observe assessments. Both providers have increased personalised clinical support to all Health Professionals. PIP Assessment Providers cost less than 4% of the total annual benefit spend on PIP.

*No heading*

Dan Carden: What recent assessment she has made of the accuracy and efficiency of contracted-out health assessments for employment and support allowance and personal independence payment.

Sarah Newton: We are committed to ensuring claimants receive high quality, accurate assessments. We monitor assessment quality through independent audit. Decision Makers can return reports for rework/additional advice. A range of measures, including provider improvement plans, address performance falling below expected standards. We continually look to improve the assessment process.The performance expectations for PIP are that 97% of assessment reports are considered acceptable.

*No heading*

Gareth Snell: How many applicants for personal independence payment who appealed the initial assessment died between their initial assessment result and the date of their appeal.

Sarah Newton: The information requested is not collated centrally. Claims from people who are terminally ill are currently being dealt with in five working days on average and nearly all of them are successful.

*No heading*

Chris Law: What recent assessment she has made of the effect of the benefit freeze on trends in the level of child poverty.

Kit Malthouse: An Impact Assessment of the benefit freeze was published in 2015. Evidence shows that work is the best route out of poverty. Children in workless households are five times more likely to be in poverty than those in households where all adults were working. The Welfare Reforms such as the benefit freeze were designed to incentivise parents to choose to move into and progress in work.

*No heading*

Steve McCabe: What assessment she has made of the effect of changes to the level of universal credit work allowance on the number of people entering work.

Alok Sharma: The improved work incentives in Universal Credit result not just from work allowances, but also from the lower taper rates, the fact that a claimant does not need to claim in three places, and that data on earnings is received every month, meaning that a claimant’s Universal Credit adjusts automatically to their earnings. We expect to provide an updated assessment of the labour supply effects of Universal Credit as part of the full business case later in 2018.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Plastics: Waste

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the amount of plastic waste which was (a) incinerated and (b) sent to landfill in the last three years for which figures are available.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: We do not hold detailed information on the fate of total plastics waste.WRAP publishes data which shows that the main source of plastic waste arisings in the UK is packaging which accounted for around 60% of total plastics arisings in 2014. The current recycling rate for UK plastic packaging is around 40%. WRAP’s data is available online via the following link: http://www.wrap.org.uk/sites/files/wrap/Plastics_Market_Situation_Report.pdf

Horticulture

Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the White Paper on agriculture will contain specific provisions for protecting and supporting British horitculture.

George Eustice: The Environment Secretary has set out his intention to publish a consultation paper on the future of domestic agriculture policy later this spring. The paper will set out our proposals for the future of agriculture and the opportunities for all sectors, including horticulture. We look forward to receiving consultation responses from across industry in due course.

Forests: North of England

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has plans to work together with local authorities and charities in the North of England to engage young people in the (a) design, (b) planning and (c) construction of the Northern Forest.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The development of the Northern Forest is being led by the Woodland Trust and Community Forests who will manage engagement with local stakeholders. The Northern Forest will deliver accessible community woodland to a large swathe of England. This area has an increasing population, meaning that future generations will benefit from this new forest.

Forests: Environment Protection

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has for preserving ancient woodland.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Government is committed to ensuring stronger protection for our ancient woodlands. The irreplaceable nature of ancient woodlands and their value is recognised in the National Planning Policy Framework. Paragraph 118 of the National Planning Policy Framework states that “planning permission should be refused for development resulting in the loss or deterioration of irreplaceable habitats, including ancient woodland and the loss of aged or veteran trees found outside ancient woodland, unless the need for, and benefits of, the development in that location clearly outweigh the loss.”

Rural Areas: EU Grants and Loans

Faisal Rashid: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government plans to match the funding provided by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development after the UK leaves the EU.

George Eustice: In line with its manifesto promise, the Government will continue to commit the same cash total in funds for farm support until the end of this parliament. Future funding decisions will reflect the Government’s aim of securing a better future for UK agriculture, for rural communities and for the environment.

Waste Disposal

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 26 January 2018 to Question 123768, when he plans to consult on the proposed new strategy on resources and waste.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: We are already in the process of engaging and consulting with a wide range of businesses and stakeholders on different aspects of the Resources and Waste Strategy and will continue to do so. We will formally consult on any significant policy changes proposed in the strategy.

Waste Disposal: Incinerators

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs,  if he will take steps to require operators of waste incineration plants to (a) monitor and (b) publish levels of emissions of (i) dioxins and (ii) furans.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Operators of waste incineration plants must carry out at least two measurements per year of dioxins and furans (increased to one measurement at least every three months in the first 12 months of the plant’s operation). The results of these measurements are reported to the Environment Agency which places them on the public register.

Waste Disposal: Incinerators

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 30 November 2017 to Question 115115, on Waste Disposal: Incinerators, how much and what proportion of that waste is (a) food waste, (b) paper and card waste and (c) wood waste.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Data for waste arisings and treatment are not structured specifically around material streams, so we cannot provide detailed information on the fate of incinerated waste. Large tonnages of incinerated waste are reported as “mixed” waste categories, for which we do not have estimates of food, paper/card, or wood content.

Incinerators

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 12 December 2017 to Question 117198, on incinerators, whether the permitted capacity for incineration includes (a) existing capacity, (b) capacity under construction and (c) capacity for which planning permission has been granted but construction has not yet commenced.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Environment Agency compiles and publishes waste incineration figures for England on an annual basis. The latest figures (for the year 2016) are available on gov.uk here. In 2016 the total capacity in England was 15,482,000 tonnes. The figures for 2017 capacity are not yet available and will be published on gov.uk later this year. The Environment Agency does not hold figures for the capacity under construction or for which planning permission has been granted but construction has not yet started.

Rolling Stock

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 6 December 2017 to Question 116533, on rolling stock, whether his Department has made an assessment of the effect on the environment of the development of bi-modal trains; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The assessment of the environmental impacts of the development of bi-modal trains is a matter for the Secretary of State for Transport and Defra has therefore not made such an assessment.

Railways: Exhaust Emissions

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2017 to Question 118503, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential effect of diesel particulates from bi-mode trains on the health of passengers, railway workers and people who live near to railway lines.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: I refer the hon. Member to the reply previously given on 05 February 2018, PQ 125393.

Home Office

Slavery

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department plans to implement framework options for monitoring performance and progress in reducing modern slavery, as recommended by the National Audit Office.

Victoria Atkins: Modern slavery is a barbaric crime that destroys the lives of victims across the globe.The UK Government has had an ambitious Modern Slavery Strategy in place since 2014 and the world-leading Modern Slavery Act was introduced in 2015. Significant progress has been made in implementing the Strategy which have been monitored through performance indicators relating to individual parts of the Strategy. The Home Office will continue to develop its performance framework as necessary, in cooperation with other government departments and agencies.We have noted the recommendations from the National Audit Office - including in this area - and have already responded publicly to a number of them. The report will be further considered by the Prime Minister's Modern Slavery Taskforce.

Slavery

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will undertake a review of the funding allocated across Government to tackle modern slavery and how effective that expenditure is.

Victoria Atkins: Modern slavery is a barbaric crime that destroys the lives of victims across the globe.The Home Office works collaboratively with other government departments and agencies to tackle modern slavery and we monitor the Department’s direct spend on tackling modern slavery. This includes measures such as £8.5 million grant funding from the Police Transformation Fund to transform the police response to modern slavery, and the Modern Slavery Fund of £33.5 million official development assistance managed by the Home Office, to tackle modern slavery across the globe.We have noted the recommendations from the National Audit Office - including in this area - and have already responded publicly to a number of them. The report will be further considered by the Prime Minister's Modern Slavery Taskforce.

Slavery

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on what date her Department will introduce an all-encompassing cross-Government governance structure for tackling modern slavery.

Victoria Atkins: Modern slavery is a barbaric crime that destroys the lives of victims across the globe.The Government has a co-ordinated policy and operational response, with a Modern Slavery Taskforce chaired by the Prime Minister.We have noted the recommendations from the National Audit Office - including in this area - and have already responded publicly to a number of them. The report will be further considered by the Prime Minister's Modern Slavery Taskforce.

Slavery

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to collect information on outcomes for victims once they leave support for people rescued from modern slavery.

Victoria Atkins: The Home Office does not routinely collect data on victims after they have left the National Referral Mechanism. In October 2017, the Government announced a package of reforms to the National Referral Mechanism including the development of a digitised casework system. It is anticipated that the digital system will improve our ability to collate and report on the progress of victims through the National Referral Mechanism.The reform package additionally includes an extended period of move on support for confirmed victims. This will enable a more robust transition for victims leaving government funded support. In addition, the provision of a 6 month drop-in service will present the opportunity for continued engagement between support providers and confirmed adult victims.

Immigration

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether UK Visas and Immigration expedites cases in which an applicant’s entry to the UK via air may be restricted due to pregnancy before the case is resolved.

Caroline Nokes: While UKVI’s published timescale for processing standard visa applications is 12 weeks (60 working days) for settlement applications, and three weeks (15 working days) for non-settlement applications the option of appling for a priority visa service is available to applicants should time be a factor in their applications.Those applications made under the priority service will be placed to the front of the processing queue and expedited. However, it should be noted that timescales for decision are not guaranteed. If there is a problem with an application or it is complex and expected to take longer than the standard processing timescale, UKVI will write to the customer within the standard processing time and explain what will happen next.

Drugs: Internet

Ross Thomson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps her Department has taken to prevent the sale of illegal drugs online.

Victoria Atkins: We want the UK to be the safest place in the world to be online. Anything that is illegal offline should be illegal online.The Government and law enforcement agencies take the unlawful advertising and sales of drugs on the internet very seriously. Tough enforcement is a fundamental part of the Government’s drug strategy and we are taking coordinated action to tackle illegal drugs alongside other criminal activity.Law enforcement agencies continue to work with internet providers to shut down UK-based websites found to be committing offences, building on work already underway to tackle the sale and supply of illegal drugs in the UK and overseas and tackle associated organised crime.

Offensive Weapons: Internet

Ross Thomson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps her Department has taken to prevent the illegal sale of knives and other offensive weapons online.

Victoria Atkins: The Government continues to work with the police and partners, including retailers to ensure we have strong controls in place to prevent sales of knives to under 18s. In March 2016 we agreed a set of commitments with major retailers including Amazon UK and Ebay UK to prevent the underage sales of knives more generally in their stores and online. The commitments include a requirement to have robust measures in place to ensure age verification for sales, in-store and online.In addition, on 14 October 2017, the Government launched a consultation on new laws on offensive weapons which included proposals to restrict the online sales of knives to further prevent sales to under 18s. The consultation was closed on 9 December and we are now considering the responses.

Civil Servants

Ross Thomson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the number of UK Home Civil Servants there will be in December 2018.

Victoria Atkins: The Home Office constantly reviews its workforce capacity and capabilities in order to deliver the Government’s agenda and meet operational demands. We continue to assess how our priorities will impact on the workforce and capabilities required beyond the 2017/18 financial year.

Immigrants: Detainees

Ruth George: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many immigration detainees who are (a) illegal immigrants and (b) asylum seekers from outside the EU were returned from the UK to an EU country in 2016 and 2017.

Caroline Nokes: The information requested is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost by examining case files. Individuals may be both illegal immigrants and asylum seekers, and may be detained at different stages prior to being returned so their entire case history would need to be examined.Information on returns and on detention is published as part of Home Office’s quarterly Immigration Statistics at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release

Refugees: Children

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to amend current legislation in order to fulfil the remaining unallocated spaces under Section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016.

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department will commit to maintaining in law, the right of children fleeing conflict to seek sanctuary in the UK if they have family members currently living in our country, after the UK leaves the EU.

Caroline Nokes: The UK is fully committed to transferring the specified number of 480 unaccompanied children under section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016 as soon as possible. Whilst the Government is clear that we will not be amending the current legislation, after extensive discussion with France, Greece and Italy, we have updated the eligibility date on an exceptional basis to ensure we can transfer the circa. 260 remaining unaccompanied children and meet our obligation under section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016. We are working closely with Member States and with relevant partners such as the UNHCR, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and NGOs to ensure the safe transfer of children referred by each Member State to the UK. Over 220 children are already here and transfers are ongoing.Our Family Reunion policy allow children to join their refugee parents, and there are also specific provisions that allow extended family members lawfully resident in the UK to sponsor unaccompanied children where there are serious and compelling circumstances. This policy is reflected in domestic legislation and will be unaffected by our exit from the EU. We have reunited over 24,000 partners and children with their families under our family reunion policy in the last five years.Until we leave the EU, the UK remains bound by EU asylum legislation, where we have opted in, including the Dublin Regulation. The Dublin III Regulation is the mechanism to determine the Member State responsible for the consideration of an asylum claim. We are considering the options to ensure effective cooperation on the country responsible for processing asylum claims when we leave the EU. This will be a key consideration as part of the process of establishing a new relationship with our European partners.The Home Office publishes data on asylum applications and their outcomes from unaccompanied asylum seeking children who enter the UK. The data are published in volume 3 of the asylum tables in the quarterly Immigration Statistics release. The latest release includes data up to September 2017, is published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-july-to-september-2017-data-tables.In addition, the Home Office published a one-off data publication on the number of children transferred from France as part of the UK’s comprehensive support for the Calais camp clearance in autumn 2016. The data is published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transfers-of-children-to-the-uk-from-the-calais-operation-november-2017The Home Office only returns an unaccompanied child with no lawful basis to remain in the UK if it is satisfied that safe and adequate reception arrangements are in place in the country to which they are to be removed.

Passports

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether UK passports will be printed and manufactured in the UK after the UK leaves the EU.

Caroline Nokes: We are currently tendering for a replacement contract for manufacture and personalisation of the UK passport and cannot comment on an ongoing procurement process.However, a minimum requirement of the procurement is that the supplier of the next contract will continue to personalise all passports in the UK meaning that no personal data leaves the UK.

Deportation: Vietnam

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on the number of Vietnamese children who were (a) arrested in and (b) deported from the UK between 2012-17.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Office does not return unaccompanied children with no lawful basis to remain in the UK, unless we can confirm there are safe and adequate reception arrangements in the country to which they will be returned.The Home Office publishes statistics on Vietnam returns (both enforced and voluntary). Those statistics can be accessed here- https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/662535/returns5-jul-sep-2017-tables.odsTables rt_05 and rt_05q show returns to destination country.

Cybercrime

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, under what categories cyber crime is recorded by police service systems.

Mr Nick Hurd: How police record cyber crime on their systems is an operational matter for individual police forces.Experimental statistics on offences recorded by the police in England and Wales which were flagged as “online crime” are published quarterly by the Office for National Statistics in the statistical bulletin Crime in England and Wales. The latest statistics, covering year to September 2017 can be found here:https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/crimeinenglandandwalesexperimentaltablesWork is ongoing with forces to improve the quality of the data submitted in this collection. There are some large variations in the proportion of offences flagged by each force depending on crime type and there is anecdotal evidence to suggest that the flag is currently underused. Therefore, going forward, with improved identification of online related offences, the proportion of all offences flagged as being online related is likely to increase.Furthermore, offences of cybercrime may be recorded by Action Fraud, the UK’s national fraud and cybercrime reporting centre. Cyber crime offences (also known as offences committed under the Computer Misuse Act) are recorded in accordance with Home Office counting rules under the relevant National Fraud Intelligence Bureau code. These data can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/602811/count-fraud-apr-2017.pdf.

Slavery

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how long on average it takes for a person to go through the National Referral Mechanism.

Victoria Atkins: Following a referral into the National Referral Mechanism, a reasonable grounds determination is made within 5 days, followed by a conclusive grounds determination on average in 98 days, as published in the evaluation of the 20 month pilot we ran to test a new decision-making process designed to improve timescales – https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/an-evaluation-of-the-national-referral-mechanism-pilot.The findings from the pilot have been used to inform the recently announced package of reforms to the National Referral Mechanism, which includes measures aimed at improving decision-making timescales, such as the introduction of a new digital system.

Slavery

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the proportion of victims of modern slavery who go on to be  re-trafficked after they leave the National Referral Mechanism.

Victoria Atkins: The ability to monitor long term outcomes for victims that leave the National Referral Mechanism and do not wish to maintain contact is extremely difficult.As part of reform to the National Referral Mechanism, we are introducing access to a 6 month drop-in service for confirmed victims leaving Government funded support. In addition we will be implementing a digital system that will improve our ability to identify individuals who have previously been referred to the National Referral Mechanism.

HM Treasury

Electronic Commerce: VAT

Mike Kane: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many joint and several liability notices HMRC has issued to online marketplaces due to overseas sellers failing to meet UK VAT requirements since September 2016.

Mel Stride: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 21 December 2017.The correct answer should have been:

Between September 2016 and 30 November 2017, HMRC has issued 862 657 notices to online marketplaces. In all cases the online marketplace has removed the non-compliant overseas seller from its platform.

Mel Stride: Between September 2016 and 30 November 2017, HMRC has issued 862 657 notices to online marketplaces. In all cases the online marketplace has removed the non-compliant overseas seller from its platform.

Electronic Commerce: VAT

Mike Kane: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will set out every enforcement action taken against online marketplaces that have been issued with a joint and several liability notice due to overseas sellers failing to meet UK VAT requirements since September 2016.

Mel Stride: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 21 December 2017.The correct answer should have been:

HMRC cannot comment on the affairs of individual taxpayers, as it has a duty to maintain taxpayer confidentiality. However, between September 2016 and 30 November 2017, HMRC has issued 862 657 notices to online marketplaces making them jointly and severally liable for future VAT evasion by non-compliant overseas sellers. In all cases the online marketplace has removed the seller from its platform.

Mel Stride: HMRC cannot comment on the affairs of individual taxpayers, as it has a duty to maintain taxpayer confidentiality. However, between September 2016 and 30 November 2017, HMRC has issued 862 657 notices to online marketplaces making them jointly and severally liable for future VAT evasion by non-compliant overseas sellers. In all cases the online marketplace has removed the seller from its platform.

Electronic Commerce: VAT

Mike Kane: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will set out every online marketplace that has been issued with a joint and several liability notice and the number of notices issued to each of those online marketplaces due to overseas sellers failing to meet UK VAT requirements since September 2016.

Mel Stride: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 21 December 2017.The correct answer should have been:

HMRC cannot comment on the affairs of individual taxpayers, as it has a duty to maintain taxpayer confidentiality. However, between September 2016 and 30 November 2017, HMRC has issued 862 657 notices to online marketplaces. In all cases the online marketplace has removed the non-compliant overseas seller from its platform.

Mel Stride: HMRC cannot comment on the affairs of individual taxpayers, as it has a duty to maintain taxpayer confidentiality. However, between September 2016 and 30 November 2017, HMRC has issued 862 657 notices to online marketplaces. In all cases the online marketplace has removed the non-compliant overseas seller from its platform.

Bank Services: Competition

Adam Afriyie: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Open Banking in encouraging consumers to switch current accounts.

John Glen: The Current Account Switch Service (CASS), have conducted research which suggests that Open Banking will allow consumers to better understand the value of their current account, and compare it with competing products, potentially leading to an increase in switching. CASS will continue to monitor the impact of Open Banking on account switching.

European Regional Development Fund

Faisal Rashid: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Government plans to match the funding provided by the European Regional Development Fund after the UK leaves the EU.

Robert Jenrick: The government has committed to launch the UK Shared Prosperity Fund after the UK leaves the EU, using money returning to the UK from European structural funds, and to consult widely ahead of its launch. Further details on design will be set out following the consultation; however, the fund will be designed to reduce inequalities between communities, and be focused on domestic priorities.

Child Care Vouchers: Yorkshire and the Humber

Andrew Jones: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many households claimed childcare vouchers in (a) the Harrogate District, (b) North Yorkshire and (c) Yorkshire and The Humber in 2016-2017.

Elizabeth Truss: I refer the Honourable Member to the answer I gave on 25 January 2017 to the Honourable Member for Hull North (123405).

Children: Day Care

Caroline Lucas: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans his Department has to publish additional guidance on the changes to childcare vouchers for (a) employers (b) parents and (c) childcare providers; and if he will make a statement.

Elizabeth Truss: HM Revenue & Customs has published guidance on childcare vouchers which is regularly updated. The guidance can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/help-with-childcare-costs/childcare-vouchers.

Compulsory Purchase

Robert Neill: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on implementing (a) clauses 195 and 196 of the Housing and Planning Act 2016 and (b) clauses 38 and 39 of the Neighbourhood Planning Act 2017.

Elizabeth Truss: Ministers and officials from my department have regular discussions with our counterparts in MHCLG to discuss a range of issues, including housing and planning.

Cash Dispensing: Rural Areas

Steve Double: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to ensure the continuing availability of cash dispensers in rural areas.

John Glen: The Government recognises that widespread free access to cash remains extremely important to the day-to-day lives of many consumers and businesses in the UK. Government will continue to engage with industry to ensure that widespread free access is maintained.The Payment Systems Regulator (PSR), which Government set up as an independent regulator in 2015 with a statutory objective to ensure that the UK’s payment systems work in the interests of their users, is monitoring developments within ATM provision, and is conducting ongoing work on the impact that changes may have. The PSR has recently published a summary of their work to date, which can be found at https://www.psr.org.uk/psr-focus/the-UK-ATM-network. The PSR has committed to using its powers to act should any of the firms it regulates behave in a way that conflicts with its statutory objectives. LINK, the main scheme behind the UK’s ATM network, has assured us and the PSR that industry is committed to maintaining an extensive network of free-to-use cash machines, and to ensuring that the present geographical spread of ATMs is maintained. LINK has announced plans to bolster its Financial Inclusion Programme, which ensures the provision of ATMs in certain areas where demand would not otherwise make one viable. LINK has also committed to protecting all free-to-use ATMs which are a kilometre or more from the next nearest free-to-use ATM, and to ensuring that any community that loses ATM access because of a branch closure has a free ATM provided. In addition, LINK will set up publicly available monitoring on its website of every area of the country showing free ATM availability, and highlight any areas where free ATM availability is lost.

Poverty: Children

Kate Osamor: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the effect of the freeze in child benefit and child tax credits on child poverty in the past seven years.

Elizabeth Truss: The proportion of people in absolute poverty is at record lows. Since 2010 there are 600,000 fewer people in absolute poverty, including 200,000 fewer children. Work is the most effective way out of poverty and unemployment has not been lower since 1975. From 2008 to 2015, average earnings grew by 12%, whereas most working-age benefits increased by 21%.

Welfare Tax Credits: Overpayments

Chris Stephens: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to pages 6 and 7 of the HMRC Code of Practice 26, how much in tax credits overpayments has been written off due to error on the part of HMRC in each tax year from 2013-14 to 2016-17 inclusive.

Elizabeth Truss: The following table outlines the value of tax credit overpayments written off due to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) official error in each tax year between 2013-14 and 2016-17.  Tax Year£ amount written off2013-1450.7m2014-1557.6m2015-1630.8m2016-1728m

Arts: Tax Allowances

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether it remains his policy to provide creative industry tax relief schemes; and if he will make a statement.

Robert Jenrick: The creative industries make a valuable cultural contribution to the UK, and they are also an important part of a dynamic and diversified economy. There are currently eight creative sector tax reliefs covering; film, animation, high-end TV, children’s TV, video games, theatre, orchestra and museums and galleries. The reliefs provide support to ensure that these highly skilled and innovative industries thrive in the UK. In 2016-17 the creative industry benefitted from over £700m worth of support from the creative sector tax reliefs. The government keeps all tax reliefs under review.

Revenue and Customs: Correspondence

Dr David Drew: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will include the addresses of tax offices in documentation accompanying tax returns.

Mel Stride: HMRC provides a postal address to which paper tax returns should be sent in documentation accompanying tax returns. It has no plans to also include the addresses of tax offices. More broadly, people wishing to contact HMRC about a particular matter can find the appropriate contact details at: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-revenue-customs/contact

Welfare Tax Credits: Overpayments

Chris Stephens: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to page 154 of the HMRC Annual Report and Accounts 2016-17, how much in tax credits overpayments is written off due to the sums being time-barred under the provisions of the Limitation Act 1980 (or equivalent legislation applying in Scotland and Northern Ireland) in each tax year from 2013-14 to 2016-17 inclusive.

Elizabeth Truss: The Limitation Act 1980 does not prevent HMRC recovering tax credits overpayment. We can ask the customer to repay the debt regardless of how old it is. The Act only restricts the time in which HMRC can take court proceedings to recover the debt.

Children: Disability

Ms Marie Rimmer: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 29 January 2018 to Question 124887, what additional funding he plans to make available to support the working parents of disabled people aged between 16 and 20 for the finance of their care.

Elizabeth Truss: Child Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is a benefit for children under the age of 16 who, due to a disability or health condition, have mobility issues and/or require substantially more care, attention & supervision than children their age normally would. If a parent or carer is claiming Child Tax Credits (CTC) and their child is in receipt of DLA or Personal Independence Payments (PIP), they are also eligible for additional premiums on their award and for childcare support. When a child approaches 16, they are informed that their DLA award will soon end and are invited to claim PIP. Spending on main disability benefits – PIP, DLA and Attendance Allowance – has risen by £4.1bn since 2010. Parents of disabled people between 16 and 20 may be able to claim Carer’s Allowance. More information about eligibility can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/carers-allowance/eligibility

Children: Day Care

Tracy Brabin: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the cost to the public purse has been of the Childcare Choices website.

Elizabeth Truss: This Childcare Choices website brings together all the government schemes which offer support towards childcare costs. The cost of designing, building, and testing the website was £82,670. Annual operating costs for the website were provided in my response to the Hon. Member for Manchester Central on 16 January (122378).

Cabinet Office

Revenue and Customs: Blackburn

Graham P Jones: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will take steps to ensure that staff at the HM Revenue and Customs office in the Blackburn office are offered exit compensation terms in place on the date of the closure announcement.

Oliver Dowden: Exit compensation terms for Civil Servants are set according to the rules of the Civil Service Compensation Scheme in place at the time of exit.

Carillion: Insolvency

Marion Fellows: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department made an assessment of the effect of Carillion's liquidation on the viability of the small businesses in its supply chain in (a) Scotland and (b) the rest of the UK before deciding not to support that company through the bail-out negotiations.

Oliver Dowden: If small subcontractors are providing public sector services then we are taking steps to ensure the continuity of those services. If subcontractors are supporting private sector contracts then their future role depends on their customers. The action we have taken is designed to keep vital public services running, rather bailing out a commercial company. We are mindful of the concerns of Carillion employees in the private sector and resources are open to these workers and businesses affected by Carillion’s liquidation who are seeking further information, including:a webpage set up by the Insolvency Service for those affected and seeking advice;a dedicated website set up by the Special Managers, PWC, as well as a dedicated helpline;a hotline set up for any employee worried about their pension situation;more general advice on business support is available through the BEIS Business Support Hotline; andJobcentre Plus, through its Rapid Response Service, also stands ready to support any employee affected by this announcement. Alongside this a network of 38 Local Growth Hubs, run in conjunction with the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), is also on hand to help businesses of all sizes and in all sectors to access support. This is a private sector company and taxpayers can’t be expected to bail out a private sector company.

Business Appointments Advisory Committee

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the three appointments to the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments announced on 18 January 2018, how those positions were advertised and how many applications were received.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the three appointments to the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments announced on 18 January 2018, what the selection criteria for those appointments were.

Mr David Lidington: These roles were advertised on the website of the Centre for Public Appointments, and the Cabinet Office received 32 applications. Selection was made on the following advertised criteria:Essential:Ability to work at a senior level and command the confidence and trust of key stakeholders, including those subject to the Rules.Ability to analyse complex information from a range of sources, identify key issues and make objective and balanced decisions on complex issues.An understanding of the issues around the perception of outside appointments for former crown servantsEvidence of effective working as part of a team.Excellent communication skills both written and oral.Desirable:Experience of dealing with conflicts of interest. ​These appointments were made on merit following fair and open competition, in line with the requirements of the Governance Code for Public Appointments.

Health: Children

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if the Government will establish a Cabinet subcommittee on child health.

Mr David Lidington: Improving children's health is a high priority for the Government. This issue falls within the remit of the Social Reform Cabinet Committee which is chaired by the Prime Minister. There are several cross-government initiatives in this area, including the Childhood Obesity Plan for Action and the Mental Health Inter-Ministerial Group which considers children's mental health, and drives forward work on the Green Paper Transforming Children and Young People's Mental Health, which was published on 4 December 2017.

Contracts: Billing

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 24 January to Question 123892, if he will publish the payment performance data for each prime contractor for the period between April and October 2017 inclusive.

Oliver Dowden: This information is not currently held centrally. BEIS have recently introduced a payment reporting system, which requires large businesses to report on their UK payment practices and performance. Businesses must report every six months on their payment performance starting with their first full financial year that starts on or after 6 April 2017:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/business-payment-practices-and-performance-reporting-requirements We intend to take further steps to improve payment practices in government supply chains and we will be bringing forward proposals shortly.

Government Departments: Procurement

Faisal Rashid: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 11 January 2018 to Question 121455, if he will publish the robust contingency plans referred to.

Oliver Dowden: Our arrangements contain commercially sensitive information it would not be appropriate to publish them.

Children: Social Services

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 25 January 2018 to Question 120865,  if he will publish the reports (a) his Department and (b) other Government Departments have produced as a result of work to track the number of looked after children or children subject to child protection or child in need plans.

Mr David Lidington: Referring to the answer of 25 January 2018 to Question 120865, it is not the practice of the Government to disclose internal discussions and advice to Ministers.

Capita

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the value is of all government contracts held with Capita.

Oliver Dowden: Capita’s global public sector revenue is published as part of the company's financial reports. This information is publicly available.

Capita

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many times the Crown Representative to Capita has met with that company in the last six months.

Oliver Dowden: Crown Representatives frequently meet with their suppliers. This is part of normal supplier management.

Capita

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether a crown representative has been appointed to cover Capita.

Oliver Dowden: Meryl Bushell is the current Crown Representative for Capita. Information about Crown Representatives can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/strategic-suppliers

Capita

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether Capita is designated as a high risk strategic supplier.

Oliver Dowden: The Government's policy relating to the risk-assessment of Strategic Suppliers is set out in the publicly available Strategic Supplier Risk Management Policy:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/80222/20121108_Strategic_Supplier_Risk_Management_Policy.pdf. Cabinet Office does not publish supplier designations under the policy as "high risk" or risk ratings used to proactively monitor and manage Strategic Suppliers in a manner consistent with the policy, as disclosure of this information would prejudice commercial interests.

Government Departments: Procurement

Bill Esterson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made on the level of compliance with the prompt payment code of major government suppliers.

Oliver Dowden: The Prompt Payment Code is monitored by the Prompt Payment Code Compliance Board, under the auspices of the Chartered Institute of Credit Management.

Northern Ireland Office

Borders: Northern Ireland

Mr Alister Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions her Department has had with the Scottish Government on future border arrangements between Scotland and Northern Ireland after the UK leaves the EU.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The Government has been very clear that as we leave the EU we will not do anything that threatens the constitutional and economic integrity of the United Kingdom’s internal market.We have agreed with the EU that the Common Travel Area, which has served us well long before we joined the EU, will continue to operate once we leave the EU.

Trade: Northern Ireland

Mr Alister Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what estimate her Department has made of the value of cross border trade between Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The Department has not undertaken an assessment of the value of cross-border trade between Scotland and Northern Ireland. The Department has however worked with colleagues across the UK to assess the value of external sales from Northern Ireland to Great Britain, which stands at £14bn.

Trade: Northern Ireland

Mr Alister Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps her Department is taking to increase cross border trade between Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The Government is committed to building an economy that works for everyone, in Northern Ireland and the whole of our United Kingdom. The Government’s Industrial Strategy is a vital part of the plan to drive growth across the whole United Kingdom and create more high skilled, high paid jobs and opportunities. We are committed to working with all relevant stakeholders in Northern Ireland to ensure that this Strategy aligns with the strategic priorities of Northern Ireland, to maximise the opportunities available and enable NI business to boost innovation, trade and investment opportunities across the whole of the UK.

Cairnryan Port: Roads

Mr Alister Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether her Department has received representations from (a) ferry operators and (b) hauliers on the quality of road links to and from the Port of Cairnryan in Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland.

Mr Shailesh Vara: To date, the Department has not received any representations from ferry operators or hauliers on road links between Cairnryan and Galloway.

Blood: Contamination

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent discussions she has had with the Minister for the Cabinet Office on the inquiry into contaminated blood under the Inquiries Act 2005.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The contaminated blood scandal was an appalling tragedy that should never have happened. The Inquiry is a priority for Government. The Inquiry and its Chair, once appointed, will want to engage with victims all over the UK. The Parliamentary Secretary has confirmed that she will write to you directly about how Government will consult the Northern Ireland Executive and Civil Service under the Inquiries Act 2005.

Cairnryan Port: Northern Ireland

Mr Alister Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether she will make an assessment of the contribution to the economy of Northern Ireland of the Port of Cairnryan in Dumfries and Galloway constituency.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The UK Government recognises the importance of the ports sector in our trading activity, as a vital part of intra-UK trade and wider export success, tourism and transport connectivity. As well as underpinning so many industries, we recognise too the important contributor the ports sector makes to the economy in their own right, though have made no specific assessment of the ports in question.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Families

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 30 November 2017 to Question HL3576, what steps her Department is taking to strengthen families.

Tracey Crouch: Government is committed to building a shared society that works for everyone and it is important to build and strengthen the bonds of the family unit. DCMS is running a number of programmes that contribute to strengthening families. These include the Early Years Social Action Fund and Community Organisers Programme. The £1 million Early Years Social Action Fund is a joint partnership between Nesta and the Office for Civil Society and will focus on supporting families in need.. The fund aims to help more children aged four and under, achieve their developmental milestones through social action. The fund is backing projects where social action will build the confidence and knowledge of parents and primary carers, to support their children to achieve their developmental milestones ahead of their fifth birthday. Community Organisers act as local leaders, bringing people together to take action on the things they all care about. The original programme (2011-15) trained 6,500 individuals who built relationships and inspired local communities to deliver positive social change. Communities were supported to kick start over 2,000 community projects and our evaluation has shown us that 84% of the projects focused on connecting people together, including neighbours, residents, families and vulnerable people. In 2017 we launched the Community Organisers Expansion Programme which aims to further increase the number of Community Organisers trained to 10,000 by 2020. DCMS also has responsibility for Libraries, which change lives for the better. They not only provide access to books and other literature but also help people to help themselves and improve their opportunities, bring people together, and provide practical support and guidance. As a locally accountable service, they are well-placed to respond to local needs and issues. Libraries can have a critical role in helping people to realise their potential, and especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Libraries provide vital support to families in developing children’s language and reading skills and confidence from early years onwards They also run numerous activities like book groups, code clubs, discussion groups and events for children and families. Libraries are places where communities and individuals can develop, share ideas and learn together, and libraries are actively looking at how they could offer more and different family learning opportunities. Alongside a report ( The Experiential Library: the future of family learning) The Society of Chief Librarians has created a toolkit to help libraries deliver family learning and is running events to help library services to share experiences to deliver this effectively. In addition, Sport England is supporting families through its Families Fund, a new investment of up to £40m into projects which offer new opportunities for families with children to get active and play sport together.

Housing: Broadband

Ged Killen: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment he has made of reports of poor broadband provision for new housing developments, particularly developments in rural and sub-urban areas.

Margot James: My Department brokered an agreement in February 2016 between the Home Builders Federation (HBF) and Openreach to connect new build developments to superfast broadband, and where possible, ultrafast broadband. Both Virgin Media and the utility provider GTC have made similar agreements with the HBF. Whilst these are voluntary agreements between industry stakeholders, we are monitoring the effectiveness of the agreements closely and, as part of this, reports of poor broadband provision for new housing development. We are prepared to explore further measures, including legislative options if necessary, in order to ensure residents get the connectivity they deserve.

Broadband

Ged Killen: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of the number of broadband cabinets that are (a) at capacity and (b) over capacity; and what assessment his Department has made of the effect of full to capacity cabinets on broadband speeds.

Margot James: The department does not hold information on the overall number of cabinets that are currently at capacity. Thinkbroadband (www.thinkbroadband.com) have recently estimated that between 1,500 and 2,500 of Openreach’s 79,000 cabinets are at capacity at any point in time.

Nuisance Calls

Ged Killen: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent steps his Department has taken to prevent cold calls from call centres based abroad being routed through UK phone lines to appear as domestic telephone numbers.

Margot James: The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) independently regulate the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003, the framework which governs unsolicited direct marketing and nuisance calls. Unsolicited calls coming from beyond our jurisdiction remain a concern, although the ICO has not identified any noticeable or recent increase in volume in respect of this issue. To help tackle the problem, the ICO engages with the Do Not Call Forum of the Unsolicited Communications Enforcement Network, which includes overseas regulators with responsibility for tackling nuisance calls. The ICO works with other members, including the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission and regulators in South Africa and Australia, to drive forward co-ordinated actions, including sharing relevant intelligence. They are also exploring with local trade associations, representing call centres based in India and other countries, ways to work with relevant authorities to tackle the problem at source. The Government have already forced companies to display their number when calling, and made it easier for the ICO to prosecute those in breach of direct marketing legislation. We continue to review the ICO's powers of enforcement, and will consider what we are able to do to assist them in tackling this problem.

Broadband: Bexley

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he has taken to facilitate access to superfast broadband for people who live in (a) Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency and (b) Bexley Borough.

Margot James: According to data from Thinkbroadband (www.thinkbroadband.com) the current superfast broadband coverage (speeds of more than 24Mbps) in the Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency is 96% and in the London Borough of Bexley it is 96.6%. The Government expects superfast broadband coverage within London to be provided by the private sector and there is therefore no government-funded superfast project. Providers including BT Openreach, Virgin Media and Hyperoptic all have current or planned network coverage within Bexley. During 2017 DCMS worked with a number of London Boroughs, including Bexley, to ensure proportionate mechanisms are in place to enable access to the highways by broadband providers for network deployment. For any premises not covered by superfast broadband, as confirmed in our announcement in December 2017, we are pushing ahead with our plans for a Universal Service Obligation (USO) so that by 2020 everyone across the UK will have a clear, enforceable right to request 10 Megabit per second broadband. In September we launched Wave 1 of the Local Full Fibre Network programme in 6 locations across the UK, and used expressions of interest gathered in this period to shape a Challenge Fund Wave 2, which was launched on 22nd November 2017. The Challenge Fund was available in open competition for local bodies from across all regions to bid into on a competitive basis to fund full fibre connections and upgrades to public sector assets and amenities. Bidding for the Challenge Fund closed on 26th January 2018 and we are currently assessing applications with successful bids being announced in March 2018.

*No heading*

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of adequacy of the coverage of internet speeds required to access the digital economy in (a) 2020 (b) 2025 (c) 2030.

Margot James: My department is working hard to ensure that everyone in Britain has the connectivity they need to be part of our future digital society. We have committed to the vision of a full fibre Britain, the gold standard of broadband that will deliver a step-change in speed, service quality, security and reliability, with capacity for 1 Gigabit per second connections. The Local Full Fibre Network programme will invest £200 million for locally-led projects across the UK to leverage local and commercial investment in full fibre. Also, we are conducting an in-depth Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review to determine how to deliver the competitive conditions to encourage the long term investment needed to secure ubiquitous world-class digital connectivity, that is seamless, reliable, long-lasting and also widely available and affordable to UK businesses and consumers.  The BDUK Superfast Programme reached its target of 95% coverage of the UK by the end of 2017, and is continuing to support delivery with at least a further 2% coverage. We are currently investing £1.7 billion of public money in superfast broadband coverage across the UK, offering speeds of over 24 Megabits per second. . To ensure no one is left behind, in areas where superfast broadband is not available, we are also introducing a broadband Universal Service Obligation so that by 2020 everyone across the UK will have a clear, enforceable right to request high speed broadband of at least 10 Megabits per second. We will keep this under review to make sure that it keeps pace with consumers' evolving needs.

Gambling

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the level of problem gambling (a) in betting shops, (b) in casinos, (c) in pubs, (d) in clubs, (e) in bingo halls, (f) on the National Lottery (g) at racecourses and dog tracks (h) on line and (i) at other venues.

Tracey Crouch: In August 2017 NatCen, commissioned by the Gambling Commission, published a report using 2015 Health Survey data into gambling behaviour in Great Britain, including problem gambling prevalence rates. The report identified 0.8% of the adult population as problem gamblers, which is a similar rate to that found in the British Gambling Prevalence Survey published in 2012. The NatCen report does not provide a breakdown by venue, but problem gambling rates by activity are available in table 4.5. The report can be found here:http://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/PDF/survey-data/Gambling-behaviour-in-Great-Britain-2015.pdf

Public Libraries: Somerset

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will make assessment of the effect of Somerset County Council's proposed changes to the Somerset library service on its statutory obligation to provide a comprehensive and efficient library service.

Michael Ellis: The Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 requires all local authorities to provide a comprehensive and efficient library service. In considering how best to deliver this statutory duty, each local authority is responsible for determining, through consultation, the local needs to deliver a modern and efficient library service that meets the requirements of their communities within available resources. Somerset County Council (SCC) is currently consulting on how their future library services could be delivered. A decision will be made by the Council on changes to the services when consultation feedback has been analysed. The Department will consider any representations that SCC is not delivering its statutory duty after the Council has made its decision.

Departmental Records

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether his Department plans to undertake an investigation into the disappearance of government files while those files were on loan to government departments from the National Archives.

Margot James: Under the Public Records Act 1958, the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is responsible for public records. Under Section 4(6) of the Public Records Act, government departments can recall records for administrative purposes. The National Archives has robust processes in place to monitor records that have been recalled by departments. When departments inform The National Archives that a record is not located, The National Archives works with the department to review how and why the record was misplaced and makes recommendations to improve the departments record handling processes. When Information Management Assessments are undertaken by The National Archives, the recommendations are incorporated into the report and addressed to the department’s permanent secretary.

Theatres

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if his Department will assess the potential effect of the loss of the 35 theatres on the Theatres Trust at-risk register on (a) the local night-time economy (b) local employment and (c) the regeneration of local areas; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to Theatres at Risk Register 2018, published by the Theatres Trust in January 2018, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of changes to local authority budgets on theatres across the UK.

Michael Ellis: We recognise that the arts and culture can bring huge benefits to local communities, and this is why Arts Council England is investing over £100 million of public money into 190 theatres and touring companies over four years. Investment such as this has a positive impact on the lives of participants, it stimulates growth in the creative industries and attracts visitors. ​Our historic £200 billion four year local authority funding settlement has also provided councils with the certainty to plan ahead and provide the services that their residents want​.​ It is for Local Authorities to decide how they invest but we are clear that investing in arts and culture is one of the best decisions local authorities can make, and, despite difficult decisions that have had to be made, many local authorities have continued to invest in arts and culture, developing innovative partnerships to support these sectors.

Public Statues: Females

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what information his Department holds on the number of public statues of women who are not royalty.

Michael Ellis: This information is not held centrally.

Mobile Phones: Fees and Charges

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government is taking to ensure mobile phone companies inform customers when they have paid for their handsets.

Margot James: The Government’s Manifesto committed to ensuring it is clear when a mobile customer has paid off the price of their handset. This is an area where Government recognises that action is needed to improve protections for consumers. We will listen to the views of stakeholders and are working closely with Ofcom, as the UK’s independent communications regulator, and mobile service providers to find a solution that protects consumers and improves awareness.

S4C Independent Review

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if his Department will publish the independent review of S4C before 28 February 2018.

Margot James: Euryn Ogwen Williams submitted his report to the Government in December. We will publish his report and the Government's response in due course.

Gaming Machines and Social Responsibility Measures Review

Danielle Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when he plans to publish the results of his Department's consultation on proposals for changes to gaming machines and social responsibility measures.

Danielle Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans his Department has to bring forward legislative proposals to increase the delay between spins or plays on fixed odds betting terminals to reduce the addictive nature of those terminals.

Tracey Crouch: The consultation on proposals for changes to gaming machines and social responsibility measures closed on 23 January. The Government will publish its response in due course.

Performing Arts

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effect of the UK leaving the EU on creative freelancers.

Margot James: We have been working closely with the creative industries to understand the impacts and opportunities presented by the UK’s decision to leave the EU. Government recognises that the creative industries have a higher than average proportion of freelancers working in them than the UK average, and that some of those workers are from the EU. We also recognise that some creative freelancers from the UK regularly carry out work in the EU. We will ensure that any decisions regarding the future immigration system are based on evidence, and that we discuss proposals with a wide-range of stakeholders, both domestically and in the EU.

Government Art Collection

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 28 March 2017 to Question HL6040 on Government Art Collection, when his Department plans to make an announcement on the Government Art Collection opening a gallery in central London.

Michael Ellis: An announcement will be made once the Government Art Collection’s new accommodation details, which includes a small display area, have been finalised.

House of Commons Commission

Parliamentary Estate: Waste Management

Dr David Drew: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, pursuant to the Answer of 25 January 2018 to Question 122009, how much of the 36.7 per cent of waste which the Parliamentary authorities incinerated at an energy from waste facility was biodegradable.

Tom Brake: Parliament’s general waste stream, sent to incineration at an ‘energy from waste’ facility, is not routinely separated onsite or at the facility. Therefore an accurate figure of biodegradable material within this waste stream is unknown.In November 2015, Parliament commissioned an independent audit of the general waste stream and found that approximately 28% of the sample (by weight) analysed comprised of biodegradable material.

Parliamentary Estate: Waste Management

Dr David Drew: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2018 to Question 124972, on Incinerators, whether all the contents of the general waste bins in offices are put into the general waste stream and then sent for incineration.

Tom Brake: That is the practice. As the House does not separate the contents of the general waste stream onsite, the entire content of the general waste bins is sent for incineration at an ‘energy from waste’ facility.

Women and Equalities

Gender Recognition: Hate Crime

Alex Sobel: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps her Department is taking to promote zero tolerance of transphobic abuse in the workplace.

Victoria Atkins: The Equality Act 2010 provides protections against discrimination and harassment of transgender people in the workplace.In 2015, the Government published guidance for employers and service providers on how to specifically support and include transgender people at work. This helps them to meet their obligations under the Equality Act 2010.The Government is currently assessing the over 100,000 responses to our National LGBT survey. The survey included a number of questions on experiences of employment. We will analyse these results carefully to determine an appropriate way forward.